Height & Health: Cancer Risk Higher for Taller People But They're Less Likely to Develop Heart Disease, Study

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A German study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggested that height could be a good indicator for disease risks. Taller people are likely to develop cancer but they're also less vulnerable to heart diseases and type 2 diabetes.

Height is determined by genetic factors but a person's diet influences his growth and development as well. Without considering body mass or weight, people who grow taller by 6.5 centimeters than their contemporaries are increasing their cancer risks by 4 percent. However, they are also reducing their risks of dying from heart disease or diabetes by 6 percent.

The experts hypothesized that, in the early stages of growth and development, taller people tend to consume high-calorie food from animal protein -- such as burger or steak meals. This then caused an over-nutrition that posed both advantages and disadvantages.

"Another hypothesis could be that taller people simply have a larger number of cells in their bodies that then could potentially transform into cancer," the researchers wrote in their paper, Medical Daily reported.

Moreover, scientists believed that taller people have developed an increased sensitivity to insulin as they grew and it has triggered the activation of other genes that cannot be reversed. This then resulted in the body's vulnerability to certain diseases including colon cancer, breast cancer and melanoma. Glamour pointed out that certain overactive cells could cause cancer development.

The study supports previous studies relating height to cancer risks.

Meanwhile, the data taken by researchers also showed that taller people are better protected against lipid metabolism disorder. MSD Manual cited that lipid disorders are linked to how the body breaks down fat enzymes that determines cholesterol levels, which can cause heart diseases.

"Our new data shows that tall people are more sensitive to insulin and have lower fat content in the liver, which may explain their lower risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Norbert Stefan in the press release.

What this study wants to establish is for doctors to take note that height can be a factor to certain health risks and that they should be aware of this whenever they are dealing with patients. They must also stress the importance of a good diet among pregnant patients or small children. It's in these stages that growth and development of the human body becomes most crucial.

However, an oncologist, Dr. Homayoon Sanati of the California's Memorial Care Breast Center, pointed out that height is not the sole indicator of disease development. He said that, regardless of height, people can still be overweight and increase their health risks, Glamour reported.