Statistics apply to ten different types of cancer
The taller you are it seems you have a greater risk of developing cancer.
The chances of getting a tumour rises 16 per cent for every 10 centimetres in difference between people's height, according to new research.
These statistics apply to 10 different types of cancer, including breast, skin, ovarian, bowel and leukaemia.
"One possible reason is fairly obvious - tall people have more cells, so there is a greater chance that one of them could mutate," says reasearch leader Dr Jane Green, of Oxford University.
"There is nothing we can do about our height, but these findings may open the door to discovering how some cancers may develop."
The findings, which are published in The Lancet Oncology, suggest that the increases in the height of people during the 20th century could explain some changes in cancer rates.
Dr Green adds: "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."
Those of you who are blessed with those extra inches musn't worry though, Dr Green says: "Being taller has actually been linked to a lower risk of other conditions, such as heart disease."
Femalefirst Taryn Davies