Size, related to cancer

US researchers analyzed the population in Europe, South Korea and the United States and found that the risk of cancer, for both men and women, was 10% higher for 10 centimeters in height because they had more cells for their expansion. , according to the study published in the magazine Royal Acts.

"Therefore, this additional risk can not be reduced," said Leonard Nunney of the University of California Riverside, author of the study.

It is thought that some mammals, such as elephants and giraffes, whose bodies contain more cells, have developed additional defenses against this disease, but there is no evidence that it works in humans.

The size varies by region, but in the United States, the average for men is 176 centimeters and for women 162. However, cancer of the stomach, oral cavity or cervix 39 uterus does not seem to be related to size.

Size is primarily determined by genes, but Nunney says that childhood also has an effect and therefore an impact associated with cancer risk.

"The environment and genetic factors act during childhood and both have a significant effect on the size of adults," he said.

Obesity in adulthood increases the risk, but for a different reason of size because it increases the size of the cells but does not believe more.

"Therefore, the causality of an increased cancer risk related to obesity is different than that of the effect of height," Nunney added.

On the other hand, he mentioned that tall people should not worry, because it is neither the only nor the main factor in the development of the disease. "I do not think that extreme measures are needed in general: the effect is statistical and relatively weak for most people," he concluded.