[acb-diabetics] short people more likely to die of heart disease

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

The study, found people who are very short are 50% more likely to die due to
cardiovascular disease. This isn't the first time height and heart disease

have been linked. In 1951, a study found that the average height of a person
under 40 hospitalized due to heart attack was 5.08 cm shorter than their
non-hospitalized

counterparts. Since then, many studies have confirmed the link between short
stature and heart failure, while others have claimed the link was a myth. 

 

Researchers in Finland decided to put this question to rest by examining 52
relevant, peer-reviewed studies encompassing 3,012,747 people of different
ages,

races and gender.

 

They compared outcomes for the shortest group, below 160.5 centimeters
(5-foot-3-inches), with the tallest group, above 173.9 cm (5-foot-7), and
found the

short people were far more likely to die than the tall group.

 

Why shorter people are at greater risk is still up for debate, note the
researchers.

 

"Most commonly, in previous studies it has been suggested that the reason
behind this association could be low socioeconomic background with
associated

risk factors such as poor nutrition and infections resulting in poor fetal
or early-life growth," the study's authors wrote.

 

The researchers also warn the studies they examined all dealt with external
factors like age, sex, smoking, lipid disorders and diabetes in different
ways,

if they dealt with them at all.

 

A study that was in part funded by the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular
Research has determined that short people are 50% more likely to have heart

problems, the Associated Press is reporting.

 

While there have been previous studies that showed a link between height and
heart problems such as angina, this particular body of research was a vast

review of this prior data.  

 

Specifically, the researchers focused on 52 papers with data on height and
heart problems in 3 million male and female patients worldwide.  They found
that

those who were the shortest in a given population were 1.5 times more likely
to have heart problems than their taller counterparts.   In general, short

people were defined as those shorter than 5'3"; those considered tall were
at least 5'9".

 

Dr Paajanen and her colleagues found that compared to those in the tallest
group, the people in the shortest group were nearly 1.5 times more likely to

die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD), or to
live with the symptoms of CVD or CHD, or to suffer a heart attack, compared

with the tallest people.

 

Looking at men and women separately, short men were 37% more likely to die
from any cause compared with tall men, and short women were 55% more likely
to

die from any cause compared with their taller counterparts.

 

Although this current research shows a link between height and heart
ailments, those taking part in the study emphasize that lifestyle factors
still have

a more direct effect on heart health. For example, those who smoke are 4
times more likely to have heart problems than nonsmokers.

 

Additionally, researchers were quick to point out that though the link
between heart health and height is there, more research will need to be done
to determine

exactly what the correlation is.  

 

Tuula Paajenen, lead author from the Tampere University Hospital in Finland
suggests that people focus on those factors they can change, rather than put

too much emphasis on the height issue.

 

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