Heavier and taller children are more likely to develop kidney cancer as adults than their average-sized peers, warn researchers.

"We know that overweight in adulthood is associated with an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We also know that cancers take many years to develop. We, therefore, had a theory that already being overweight in childhood would increase the risk of RCC later in life," said lead author Britt Wang Jensen from Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in Denmark.