The taller you are, the greater the risk you have of developing cancer. Investigators followed 5.5 million Swedish men and women for over 50 years and found that for every additional 10 cm (~3.4 inches) of height, the risk of developing cancer increased by 18% in women and 11% in men. Lead researcher Dr. Emelie Benyi comments, “It should be emphasized that our results reflect cancer incidence on a population level. As the cause of cancer is multifactorial, it is difficult to predict what impact our results have on cancer risk at the individual level.” The team hopes to investigate how mortality from cancer and other causes of death are associated with height.
Annual European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology, October 2015