Height does matter

"Height may be considered as a possible independent factor to be used in calculating people's risk of heart disease," said lead author Dr Tuula Paajanen, a researcher in the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Tampere.

Height is used to calculate body mass index (a measurement of body fat), which is widely used to quantify risk of coronary heart disease, she added.

"But height is only one factor that may contribute to heart disease risk, and whereas people have no control over their height or genetics, they can control their weight, lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking and exercise, and all of these together affect their heart disease risk," Paajanen said. "The more risk factors you have, the more effort you should concentrate to reduce the risk factors you can."

The study

Paajanen's group analysed data from 52 studies that included three million people. Those under 5-foot 3-inches were considered 'short' and 'tall' people were just over 5-foot-8.

Separated by gender, short men were under 5-foot-5, and short women were under 5-foot tall. Tall men were over 5-foot-9, and tall women were over 5-foot-5.

What they found

Compared with the tallest people, the shortest people were almost 1.5 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease or to live with heart disease or suffer a heart attack, the researchers found.

Considering 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 taller women, Paajanen's team noted. Paajanen added that it is unknown why there is an association between height and the risk for heart disease.

Short people, shorter arteries

The researchers, however, speculated that shorter people have smaller coronary arteries that may get blocked earlier in life due to other risk factors such as poverty, poor nutrition and infections that result in poor early life growth. Smaller coronary arteries also might be subject to changes in blood flow.

However, recent genetic findings about body height suggest that inherited factors, rather than poor nutrition or low birth weight, may explain the association between shortness and an increased risk of heart disease, the researchers pointed out.

Exercise control for a healthy heart

Individuals of short stature, along with those of all heights, should be aware of the cardiovascular risks they potentially face but focus on those risk factors that are modifiable including not smoking, participating in regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, controlling blood pressure and achieving optimal lipid levels.

Pic: Dora Mitsonia