Tall people can reach the upper shelves of cupboards with ease, have a competitive advantage in sports and are often forced to function as a human selfie stick during social gatherings.
But their height advantage extends beyond being handy in everyday situations. Tall people may also be at lower risk for heart diseases.
Epidemiological data suggests that tall stature is associated with a low incidence of heart disease. A 2015 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that for a person who is 2.5 inches shorter than average, the risk of heart disease increases by about 13.5 per cent.
Are tall people at lower risk of heart disease?
Dr Keshavamurthy CB, consultant, interventional cardiology, Manipal Hospital, Mysuru, Karnataka, says height is not a standard risk factor for heart diseases. “In general cardiology literature, there is no association between height and heart disease. These are observational studies. It has been found that taller people have lesser incidences of heart attacks and strokes as compared to people who are 5 cm shorter and are from the same age group,” he adds.
Dr Suwen Kumar, interventional cardiologist, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, USA, adds that the studies have been conducted in different population groups. So, it is unclear what can be accepted or adopted into the Indian population or other races. He adds, “Taller people have been found to have lower LDL cholesterol and fat is distributed throughout the body, making them appear leaner. That could also be another reason for lower cardiac incidences in them.”
What factors influence height?
Growth hormone is the main hormone responsible for height gain, but adequate secretion of thyroid and sex steroids is also required, says Dr Rajesh Khadgawat, professor, endocrinology, AIIMS, New Delhi.
Eighty to 90 per cent of our height is usually determined by genes. 90 per cent of the time, short parents produce short children and tall ones produce tall children. Infection, systemic disease and malnutrition are the most important causes of short stature. “Any disease or stress or malnutrition can decrease the final height. Less than 3rd percentile or less than 2 standard deviations (SD) is considered as short, and more than 97 percentile is considered as tall, as per growth charts for Indian population,” he adds. In the People of India project by the Anthropological Survey of India, the adult height ranged from 130-149 cm (very short) to 170-179.9 cm (tall).
However, Dr Kumar points out that there are some studies that state otherwise. “Tall people have been found to have more risk of atrial fibrillation, a heart arrhythmia,” he says. Dr Keshavamurthy adds there are also some types of heart diseases like Marfan syndrome, where individuals are very tall and thin. “They have higher chances of having mitral valve and aortic valve diseases. So, it’s a purely statistical association,” he says.
Do taller people have higher blood pressure?
Dr Keshavamurthy goes on to emphasize about studies indicating that systolic blood pressure is lower, and the diastolic blood pressure is higher in taller individuals. “So even that cannot be considered to validate that tall people have lower incidences of heart attacks,” he says.
The New England Journal of Medicine study mentioned above further states that shorter a person, the greater is the risk of getting the disease. Though the study findings are driven by the link between shorter height and poor lipid profile, experts say the exact causes found in these observational studies are not clearly known.
Cardiologists say there could be a co-relation between short height and increased cardiovascular risk, especially coronary artery disease. Dr Kumar points out, “Studies have found that the coronary artery diameter is small in shorter people. So, plaque formation due to cholesterol can be more prominent in them. This could be an issue.”
Precautions
According to experts, irrespective of one’s height, they should follow routine health check-ups and live a healthy lifestyle with proper diet and regular exercises to reduce the risk of any heart conditions.
Takeaways
- Different studies have shown a link between tall height and heart diseases. Tall people have been found to have lesser incidences of heart diseases, compared to shorter people.
- Taller people tend to have lower cholesterol, better fat distribution, which can help reduce cardiovascular risk.
- However, studies have shown taller people to be more at risk for atrial fibrillation. People with Marfan Syndrome are also usually tall and slender, and they are at higher risk for mitral valve and aortic valve diseases.
- Studies have observed shorter people are more prone to cardiovascular issues, especially coronary artery diseases.
- Regular checkups and maintaining a proper lifestyle can help reduce the risk of heart problems, irrespective of one’s height, say experts.
