(NaturalNews) A comprehensive review of 7,000 studies on the risk factors for cancer has uncovered a surprising link between being tall and increased risk. The report, jointly released by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, found that those who are tall have a higher risk of developing cancer than those who are short. The researchers found evidence that the hormones responsible for quick growth may be involved in causing certain kinds of cancer.
"We found that tallness is also probably linked to increased
risk for ovarian, pancreatic and pre-menopausal
cancer as well," said Walter Willett, a nutrition expert from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Willett emphasized that tallness does not cause cancer, but that it should be considered a risk factor. This makes it even more important, he said, that tall people have healthy
lifestyle habits.
"We need to think about cancer as the product of many long-term influences, not as something that 'just happens,'" he said.
"Americans are increasingly likely to attribute cancer to factors over which they have no control, and for which no proven links to the disease exist," the report said. "This reflects an 'everything causes cancer' mindset."
To counter this attitude, the report points out that 30 percent of cancer cases can be avoided by living a healthier lifestyle. Among the report's recommendations are remaining thin,
eating mostly plant food, and avoiding processed or red
meat, alcohol, salt, and sugary beverages. The report also urges people to "be physically active as a part of everyday
life."
According to a
survey by the American Institute for Cancer Research, the majority of people in the United States are not aware of many lifestyle cancer risk factors. Only 38 percent of those surveyed knew of the correlation between cancer risk and eating cured or processed meat, only 49 percent knew of the risk from diets low in fruits and vegetables, and only 46 percent knew that obesity increases the risk of cancer.
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