On Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:02:34 -0700, michael sylvester wrote: >Fox news reported that a study has found a correlation between >height and cancer.The taller the more likely to get cancer.
As with many things, Fox news is late to the party. For example, see: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/height-linked-with-prostate-cancer-risk/ and a 2001 systematic review by Gunnell et al in "Epidemiologic Reviews": http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/23/2/313.pdf >I assume that the cancer rates among dwarfs and midgets and >other vertically challenged individuals would be minimal. >As the only cross-cultural dude on Tips,I can report that there >are some observations of a certain population in Ecuador that give >credibility to my conclusions. I'm not sure which conclusions you're referring to but if you are referring to Laron dwarfs of Ecuador, their condition is due to genetic defect knows as Laron syndrome. For more on Laron dwarfs from Ecuador, see: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1045987/Immune-cancer-The-astonishing-dwarf-community-Ecuador-hold-key-cure.html or http://tinyurl.com/6k97pj For more on Laron syndrome, see: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/922902-overview (the above is on medscape.com and may require one to register with the website). Quoting from the article: |In 1966 in Israel, Zvi Laron and colleagues reported a genetic |form of dwarfism in 3 Yemenite Jewish siblings with clinical and |biochemical features of growth hormone deficiency (GHD), but |with "abnormally high concentrations of immunoreactive serum |growth hormone." The underlying defect was thought to be an |inborn error in growth hormone (GH) synthesis resulting in an |immunologically detectable but metabolically inactive GH. |Within 2 years, 19 additional Israeli patients of Asian Jewish |ancestry were identified. | |Subsequent work led to the identification of more than 250 patients |worldwide, with the vast majority of cases being traced to Semitic |or Mediterranean origins. These patients were proven to have levels |of circulating GH within the reference range but were demonstrated |to be metabolically unresponsive to exogenous GH. Initially |termed Laron-type dwarfism, this condition is currently known as |Laron syndrome (LS), primary GH insensitivity (GHI), or primary |GH resistance. One might more productively speculate on the relationship between growth hormone and the probability of developing cancer. -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
