Researchers find that lung cancer rates are lower at higher altitudes

A study in the US has shown that people living at higher altitudes have lower rates of lung cancer.

The research, published in the journal, PeerJ, looked at whether the altitude in which people live has an impact on the chances of getting lung cancer.

Scientists looked at 260 counties in western US, all of which were at a range of different altitudes, and compared the number of people diagnosed with lung cancer in each of these locations. They found that areas with higher altitudes saw a smaller number of people diagnosed with cancer.

The researchers believe that this difference in rates of lung cancer could be due to the way that the body processes oxygen. In areas that are higher up, people tend to inhale less oxygen. Further research into this is now needed.

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Read the journal article.