The scientists conducted a meta-analysis of 18 medical studies including more than 180,000 participants. They attempted to compare the risk of dying from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease for men and women based on their height.
The results of the study reveal that men under 1.68m are 50% more likely to die from Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia than those who are over 1.78 m tall.
“The association between height and the risk of dying from dementia is consistent even after controlling for age, socioeconomic status, and other relevant factors, including obesity, smoking, and risk of cardiovascular and chronic diseases” explains Dr. Tom Russ, from the University of Edinburgh (Great Britain).
Women seem less at risk. Those who measure 1.55m are 35% more likely to die of dementia than those who reach the height of at least 1.65m.
It is not the size itself that should be questioned. But height is often a marker of other risk factors that could influence the likelihood of developing dementia and dying from it.
“Short stature in itself is not the ’cause’ of dementia. This physical peculiarity can reveal poor diet, psychosocial stress and poor living conditions, which are risk factors for dementia,” explains the lead author of the study, Dr. David Batty, of the University College of London.
The dementia is not a specific disease: behind this term hides a range of diseases and symptoms associated with reduced memory and a reduced ability to perform various daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for about 70-80% of dementia cases. In France, more than 850,000 people are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and nearly 225,000 new cases are diagnosed each year and the number of patients should reach two million in 2020.
