A person's height can affect susceptibility to cancer and heart disease – scientists

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According to Finnish scientists (University of Tampere), short people have an increased risk of heart disease.

A person's height is associated with both an increased and a lower risk of developing cancer or a heart attack, according to scientists. In particular, a study by the University of Tampere (Finland) showed that short people are more prone to heart diseases. Its authors assessed as short height in men less than 165 cm, in women – less than 160 cm. After analyzing the results of 52 works in which the associations between height and people and their diseases were determined, Finnish experts came to the conclusion that “in short members of the population, the probability of developing heart disease is one and a half times higher”.

They also calculated that short men were 37% more likely to die of any cause compared to taller men, and short women were 55% more likely to die.

When it comes to heart failure specifically, short people suffer from a heart attack 52% more often than tall people.

Researchers cannot give a full explanation for this pattern, but assume that short people have narrower blood arteries.

But at the same time, high growth is associated with its own set of risks. The study showed that men taller than 188 cm have a seriously increased risk of blood clots. In turn, the data published by the Lancet journal show that tall height is associated with a predisposition to cancer.

Researchers said that taller people show an increased tendency to develop prostate cancer in men and breast cancer. glands, ovaries, endometrium, colon in women. Scientists assume that the mechanisms of cancer development in tall people may be related to an increase in the size of their organs.