New research suggests taller people are at high risk of cancer than smaller people because they tend to have more cells in their body which makes them prone to dangerous mutation. Several studies previously found an association between some form of cancer and tall people, wherein some suggested cancer risk increases by 10 percent in every 10cm of height within the usual range for humans.

According to the South China Morning Post, scientists cited several explanations for this, such as environmental factors and certain growth hormones that can affect both cancer and height. Nunney, a professor of biology at the University of California Riverside, said taller people have more cells which make them susceptible to some type of cancer.

His research, which was published in the in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, was based on the fundamental model of how cancer was being developed. Individuals are accumulating mutations in their cells over their life (aside from eggs or sperm) - cancer will then initiate if a particular set of mutations. Hence, the study suggests having more cells or cell divisions in the body may increase the risk of cancer.

Nunney compared the overall risk of men and women prone to any type of cancer with increasing height and with what might be the expected calculations based on the number of cells in a body. The results indicate women increased their risk by 13 percent for every additional 10cm in height, while 11 percent for every 10cm taller in men. But, he noted some cancer might not have a direct link with the height, like HPV infection for cervical cancer.

The research also found out that skin cancer - melanoma - shows a stronger link to height than expected - which is likely due to taller people have slightly higher levels of a growth hormone called IGF-1. Nunney suggests that a boost in cell division increases the risk as melanoma needs a larger set of mutations to develop compared to other cancers.

Professor Dorothy Bennett welcomed Nunney's research, but she said the calculations have several assumptions. But still, Professor Bennett, who is a director of the Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute at St George's, University of London, said the study's argument was compelling.

Meanwhile, Georgina Hill, from Cancer Research UK, noted people should not be concerned of their height. Although studies from the past suggested a link between cancer and taller people, the risk is still relatively small and individuals can actually reduce cancer risk, like keeping a healthy diet and avoid smoking.