She says, “The most important thing to remember is that it is not a person’s height itself – i.e. the distance from your head to your feet – that increases your risk of cancer.
“Instead, it is the process that your body has undergone to make you tall that is linked to cancer.
“In other words, a person’s final adult height is a visual representation of the growth process that someone’s body has undergone from conception through to adulthood.
“This process is influenced not only by their genes, but also by modifiable developmental factors (eg. growth factors such as insulin, insulin-like growth factor, growth hormone, and sex hormones such as oestrogens) in the womb, and during childhood and adolescence.
“So height should be thought of only as a marker, or indicator, of the whole series of events and experiences from conception to adulthood – and it is identifying what aspect or aspects of this process influences cancer risk that is important,” she adds.
