Could your height determine your health? According to one new study published this June 2 in the journal Plos Genetics – the largest of its kind – tall people would run a higher risk of at least a hundred health problems distinct, including irregular heartbeats, venous thrombosis, bone infections, skin ulcers or neurological disorders.
Researchers at Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center examined more than 280,000 Americans from a cohort of veterans, 91% of them men, with an average height of 1m76 and have associated them with over 1,000 clinical traits. And if they confirm certain already known associations, such as an increase in risk of atrial fibrillationscientists have also identified new associations with peripheral neuropathies that damage nerves in the body’s extremities and skin and bone infections.
Lower risk of cardiovascular disease
Tall people would still be protected from cardiovascular disease and would suffer less from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and coronary heart disease.
The researchers did not identify the reason why tall people would suffer from more problems but nevertheless came up with a theory: the blood needs to be pumped a longer distancewhich can reduce the flow of circulation, which is essential for keeping the body healthy.
Between 100 and 110 height-related health problems
Tall people were also more prone to blood clots or leg or foot ulcers. In total, the researchers would have found between 100 and 110 separate height-related health issuessaid Dr. Sridharan Raghavan, lead author of the study, at the MailOnline.
This is because more body mass can put more pressure on bones, muscles and feet, causing more health problems, the researchers said. “Height may be an unrecognized but biologically plausible risk factor for several common conditions in adults“, concludes the study. Which indicates that patients could be treated differently depending on their height.
Other studies are nevertheless necessary on a more typical and larger international population, in order to confirm these conclusions. “US veterans in this study are mostly older men with higher prevalence of a number of common chronic conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease“, indicates the study.
Source :
- A multi-population phenome-wide association study of genetically-predicted height in the Million Veteran Program, Plos GeneticsJune 2, 2022
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