Taller people 'at greater cancer risk'
Taller people have an increased risk of cancer, including of the bowel, breast, kidney and brain, experts say.
The largest study of its kind on the issue found around a 16% increased risk of cancer with each additional 4in (10.2cm) of height.
The study, of more than one million women, found that those in the shortest group - around 5ft tall or 152.4cm - experienced around 750 cancers per 100,000 women per year.
In women of average height (around 5ft 4in or 162.6cm) there were about 850 cancers per 100,000 women per year, and in the tallest group (around 5ft 9in or 175.3cm) this rose to about 1,000 cancers per 100,000 women per year.
Overall, taller women had an increased risk of at least 10 types of cancer, including malignant skin cancer, ovarian cancer and leukaemia.
The findings are similar to those for men in other studies.
Jane Green, lead author of the study, from the University of Oxford, said: "The fact that the link between height and cancer risk seems to be common to many different types of cancer in different people suggests there may be a basic common mechanism, perhaps acting early in people's lives, when they are growing.
"Of course people cannot change their height. And being taller has actually been linked to a lower risk of other conditions, such as heart disease."
Experts have suggested that hormone levels in childhood related to growth could influence cancer risk.
Another theory is that taller people simply have more cells in their body, and are therefore at increased risk of developing changes to those cells, which leads to cancer.
The authors suggest the 10 to 15% increase in cancer during the 20th century may be linked to the fact the average adult grew by about 1cm during that time.
Sara Hiom, director of health information, at Cancer Research UK, said: "Tall people need not be alarmed by these results. Most people are not a lot taller (or shorter) than average, and their height will only have a small effect on their individual cancer risk.
"This study confirms the link between height and cancer paving the way for studies to help us understand why this is so.
"On average, people in the UK have a more than one in three chance of developing cancer in their lifetime.
"So it's important that everyone is aware of what is normal for their body and go see their doctor as quickly as possible if they notice any unusual changes.
"And while we can't control our height, there are many lifestyle choices people can make that we know have a greater impact on reducing the risk of cancer such as not smoking, moderating alcohol, keeping a healthy weight and being physically active."
Dr Caitlin Palframan, policy manager at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "We already know being tall slightly increases the risk of developing cancer, and this study provides confirmation.
"The big question is why this connection exists. If we can unravel why height affects the risk of cancer it will lead us closer to understanding how some cancers develop.
"While there is nothing we can do to change our height, women can reduce their risk of breast cancer by maintaining a healthy weight, cutting back on alcohol and being physically active."
