Kill the Economy

[OKIsItJustMe]

151. “This is the science. These are the facts.” Uh huh…

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-07/l-hmg071911.php

[font face=Serif]Public release date: 20-Jul-2011

Contact: Dr. Jane Green
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44-018-652-89659
Lancet

[font size=5]Height might give clue to cancer risk[/font]

[font size=3]Taller people are at increased risk of a wide range of cancers, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet Oncology. In women the risk of cancer rises by about 16% for every 10cm (4 inches) increase in height. Previous studies have shown a link between height and cancer risk, but this research extends the findings to more cancers and for women with differing lifestyles and economic backgrounds. The results suggest that increases in the height of populations over the course of the 20th century might explain some of the changes in cancer incidence over time.

To investigate the impact of height on overall and site-specific cancer risk, Jane Green from the University of Oxford, Oxford, UK and colleagues assessed the association between height, other factors relevant for cancer, and cancer incidence in the Million Women Study, which included 1.3 million middle-aged women in the UK enrolled between 1996 and 2001. During an average follow-up time of about 10 years, 97 000 cases of cancer were identified.

The risk of total cancer increased with increasing height, as did the risk of many different types of cancer, including cancers of the breast, ovary, womb, bowel, leukaemia and malignant melanoma.

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Jane Green, lead author of the study says: "We showed that the link between greater height and increased total cancer risk is similar across many different populations from Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America. The link between height and cancer risk seems to be common to many different types of cancer and in different people; suggesting that there may be a basic common mechanism, perhaps acting early in peoples' lives, when they are growing." *

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071721/

[font face=Serif]West J Med. 2002 May; 176(3): 206–208.

[font size=5]Height, body size, and longevity: is smaller better for the human body?[/font]

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[font size=4]FINDINGS SUGGESTING THAT SHORT STATURE IS HEALTHIER[/font]

[font size=3]During the second half of the 20th century, the people living the longest included the Japanese, Hong Kong Chinese, andGreeks2—all being shorter and weighing less than northern Europeans and North Americans. In addition, data from the California Department of Health indicate that Asians and Hispanics live more than 4 years longer than taller whites.6 Wild and associates found that East Indians, Chinese, Japanese, and Hispanics in California had lower all-cause and CHD death rates, as shown in the Table.7 Heights obtained from other sources are shown for each ethnic group and indicate that shorter ethnic groups had lower death rates.

Compared with northern Europeans, shorter southern Europeans had substantially lower death rates from CHD and all causes.2 Greeks and Italians in Australia live about 4 years longer than the taller host population, and shorter Turkish migrants in Germany have an age-adjusted CHD death rate half that of taller indigenous Germans. Others have pointed out that genetics is not the primary factor here because after a few generations,Mexican and Japanese migrants approach the CHD and cancer rates of the host country.2 One of us(H E) led medical teams in studies of eight populations selected for healthy and vigorous people and found that they were also small people.8

A report on a 25-year study of Okinawans indicates that they have the greatest longevity in the world, including exceeding that of mainland Japanese.9 Okinawans are vigorous and healthy into advanced ages and continue a high level of physical activity into their 90s. They have the lowest rates of cancer and heart disease in the world and also exceed most countries in centenarians at a rate of 34 per 100,000 versus 5 to 10 per 100,000 for industrialized nations. Bone fractures were found to be substantially less than in mainland Japan and the United States. The Okinawans eat a low-calorie, high-fiber diet rich in vegetables, grains, and soy. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (especially omega 3) are consumed in preference to saturated fats. Refined carbohydrates and animal products, except for fish, are consumed in small amounts. Tea and small amounts of alcohol are drunk daily. However, salt intake is 7 g, which is higher than the less than 1 g consumed by populations with lifelong low blood pressure.

The researchers, Willcox etal,9 did not attribute this superior health to genetics because when younger Okinawans migrate to mainland Japan, Hawaii, or the United States, they soon acquire the chronic diseases of the host population. The Okinawans are shorter and weigh less than mainland Japanese, and men aged 87 to 104 years average 145.4 cm (4ft 9 in) and 42.8 kg (94lb).2

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