The bigger you are, the more you are at risk of cancer



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Size matters, finally. According to one study, being tall would predispose to a greater risk of developing cancer, because of the larger number of cells in the body. The large size is therefore added to the long list of risk factors for the patient.

The risk of cancer increases … with size. If previous research had already identified a link between a large size and a higher risk of developing cancer, a researcher at the University of California at Riverside (USA) confirms this hypothesis, and even found the reason. According to his investigations, revealed on 24 October and relayed by The Guardianit would simply be because large people have more cells, so more chances that they mutate and cause disease.

Mutations in cells

Several explanations had previously been considered by scientists to explain this phenomenon. "One of the main badumptions was that something that happened early in life made your cells more susceptible to cancer and, incidentally, made you bigger."explains to Guardian Leonard Nunney, author of the study and professor of biology at the American university. For his work, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society Bthe researcher actually relied on the fundamental model of cancer development.

During their lifetime, individuals accumulate mutations in their cells. If a particular set of mutations occurs, then some cancer may develop. The team of scientists relied on the theory that having more cells – and therefore more divisions per cell – would increase the risk of cancer.

10 cm more, 10% more risk

The team badyzed 23 types of cancer in rodents, and coupled its results with previous existing size studies. And it turns out that the predictions coincide with the observations, since an increased risk with height was noted for 18 of the 23 cancers. An additional height of 10 cm under the fence would increase the risk of 13% for women and 11% for men. Melanoma or skin cancer have the highest correspondences with height. On the contrary, the development of cancers of the esophagus, stomach or cervix would not be linked.

But for adults, do not panic! Georgina Hill from the British Cancer Center invites people not to worry about their size: "A number of studies over the years have shown that tall people appear to have a slightly higher risk of cancer. But the increased risk is low and you can do a lot to reduce the risk of developing cancer, for example, do not smoke and maintain a healthy weight. ", she says at Guardian.

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