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# Increased height means increased cancer risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/increased_height_means_increased_cancer_risk_0721110621/
- Published: 2011-07-22T07:29:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:04:15.000Z
- Description: Oxford researchers followed 1,297,124 women for about nine years and reported in Lancet Oncology that each 10 cm of extra height came with 16 percent higher overall cancer risk, with increases at 15 of 17 sites. The associations were not significant among current smokers.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Disease, Health News, #vivvo-import

By David Liu and editing by Aimee Keenan-Greene

Taller women are at higher risk for more cancer.

A new study in the July 21, 2011 issue of the Lancet Oncology women taller than average are at higher risk of a variety of cancers including breast cancer, melanoma, colorectal cancer, ovary cancer and endometrial cancer.

For the study, Dr Jane Green and colleagues of Cancer Epidemiology Unit University of Oxford in UK followed 1,297124 women for an average 9 years during which 97,376 incident cases of cancer. The researchers analyzed the association between height and risk of cancers in 17 sites.

Overall, for an increase of 10 cm in height, the risk of total cancer was increased 16 percent. The risk of cancer was found increased in 15 out of 17 sites studied in women who were 10 cm taller than others. The association between height and risk of cancer was particularly higher in ten sites.

Specifically, an increase of 10 cm in height was associated with the following risk increases: 25% for colon cancer, 14% for rectal cancer, 32% for malignant melanoma, 17% for breast cancer, 18% for endometrial cancer, 17% for ovary cancer, 29% for kidney cancer, 20% for cancer of the central nervous system, 21% for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 26% for increased risk of leukemia.

The associations were not significant among current smokers, suggesting that smoking may be a bigger risk of cancer than height.

About a dozen of previous studies have suggested that growth hormones play a role in the development of many cancers.

Although a person's height has something to do with his genetics, their diet may significantly affect height as previous studies suggested.