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Kathleen Blanchard, RN, CCM
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| Credit: Bing Tall women found to be at higher risk for cancer |
A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology,
Biomarkers & Prevention links higher risk of cancer for tall postmenopausal
women. Researchers found the taller a woman is, the higher the risk of breast,
colon, endometrial, kidney, ovary, thyroid and rectal cancer, but why?
Other cancers linked to
height in postmenopausal women found in the study include multiple myeloma and
melanoma.
For their study, researchers
at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York, NY
suspect the risk of cancer is higher for taller women because both height and
cancer involve growth factors.
Geoffrey
Kabat, Ph.D., senior
epidemiologist in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at
the University said in a press release: "...it makes sense that hormones or other growth factors that
influence height may also influence cancer risk."
The study authors also say
some genetic variations linked to height are also associated with cancer.
For their study,
researchers looked at women diagnosed with cancer that were recruited for the
Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study.
The women were followed
for 12-years. At the beginning of the study their height and weight were
measured and the women answered questions about their physical activity.
Among the participants,
20, 928 had one or more invasive cancers.
Approximately 4 inches in
extra height was associated with a 13 percent higher chance of developing any
cancer; 13 percent to 17 percent for melanoma and breast, ovary, endometrial
(the lining of the womb) and colon cancer.
Cancers of the kidney, rectum, thyroid, and blood were 23 percent to 29 percent more likely for every 3.94 inches of height among the women studied.
The researchers also note the
role of nutrition early in life that can influence cancer risk. “There is currently a great deal of
interest in early-life events that influence health in adulthood. Our study
fits with this area,” Kabat said.
The importance of the study is that you can't change your height, the study authors say. But if you know you are at risk, you can get screened early and change other modifiable risk factors by following a healthy diet and remaining active, beginning early in life.
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