Tall people may be at an increased risk of developing cancer, according to a recent study.
Swedish researchers found that for every extra four inches of height, the risk of developing cancer increased by 18 percent in women and 11 percent in men, CBS News reported. This long-term study is the largest carried out on the association between height and cancer in both genders.
Dr. Emelie Benyi, who led the study, believes identifying risk factors could help lead to further development of treatments.
"As the cause of cancer is multi-factorial, it is difficult to predict what impact our results have on cancer risk at the individual level," Benyi told BBC News.
For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from 5.5 million men and women in Sweden, born between 1938 and 1991 and with adult heights ranging between 39 and 88 inches, HealthDay reported. They followed the group of individuals from 1958 or from the age of 20 until the end of 2011.
Additionally, taller women had a 20 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer, whilst the risk of developing melanoma increased by approximately 30 percent per 10 cm of height in both men and women,
"It should be emphasized that our results reflect cancer incidence on a population level," Benyi said in a statement. "As the cause of cancer is multifactorial, it is difficult to predict what impact our results have on cancer risk at the individual level."
Researchers are now planning on investigating how mortality from cancer and other causes of death are associated with height within the Swedish population.
The findings were presented Thursday at the 54th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting.
