How does height affect your health?

In Vietnam, the average height of men is about 164cm and women about 153cm. While being tall or short is not known to cause any disease, studies have shown that the risk of certain problems is influenced by height.

The first disadvantage of prominent human body height is the increased risk of cancer. Some studies suggest that below-average height may mean a lower incidence of certain types of cancer.
For example, a study of 100,000 women in Europe and North America found that shorter women were less likely to develop ovarian cancer. At the same time, tall women also had a 17% increased risk of developing malignancies of the breast, endometrium, and colon, and a 29% increased risk of leukemia, rectal cancer, and thyroid cancer alone. , and kidney cancer .
Another poll of 9,000 men in the UK between the ages of 50 and 69 also found shorter men had a lower risk of prostate cancer. The reason may be that tall people have more cells, so they have a higher chance of mutating and developing into cancer. According to a recent study, babies with high genes also have early activation of cell growth factors from the time they are in the womb, making them more susceptible to certain types of cancer.

Body height may be related to the risk of type 2 diabetes, and this is more evident in women. Specifically, based on a data of more than 6,000 adults over 5 years, scientists believe that tall people are less likely to develop this disease.
Although it is not clear why diabetes and the effect of height are related, one theory is that short stature is a sign of poor nutrition or problems with metabolism. different metabolism from the time a person is in the womb until later in development. In addition, another study from the Netherlands also found that tall women are more sensitive to insulin and have a lower fatty liver content.

Generally, tall people have stronger hearts than short people, so the risk of cardiovascular diseases is also lower. Although scientists do not know the exact cause, but in general, people shorter than 160cm will have about 50% higher risk of heart disease and coronary artery disease than those who are 170cm or more.
The reason may be related to poor nutrition or infections that the fetus has before birth or in the first years of life that affect growth. In addition, the genome that affects height at fertilization may also impact a person's odds of cardiovascular problems in later life.

A stroke is when blood flow to an area of ​​the brain is suddenly cut off. People who are exceptionally tall, and especially those with a healthy weight, are less likely to have a stroke. Nutrition and a number of other factors that are related to health at a young age, as well as affecting a person's height, may explain the link between stature and stroke.

A blood clot can be a serious condition, especially if a blood clot forms in a major vein or in the path leading to the lungs. While it's still not clear why, studies suggest that the shorter a person is, the less likely they are to form blood clots in the veins. In which, people who are 150cm or less tall and have a reasonable weight are the lowest risk group.
Scientists argue that the blood in the tall people's body circulates longer distances, so it can reduce the flow, as well as increase the risk of blood clots, increase stroke.
However, obesity is the main factor that increases the risk of blood clots more than height, so whether you are short or tall, you need to keep your weight within a reasonable range to prevent thrombosis.

Height can be an advantage when it comes to dementia risk, especially for men. A study of 500 men found that those who were 180cm or taller had nearly 60% less chance of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who were 170cm or less. Tall women may also be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, but the link between the syndrome and the effects of height in women doesn't seem to be clear.

Tall women are more likely to have a full pregnancy than short women. In one study, women who were 150cm or less were more likely to have a baby before full term than those who were 170cm or taller. Specifically, for every 5cm difference in height between two pregnant women, the shorter woman will go into labor 1 day earlier. Scientists are still not sure why, but the effect of height on the size of certain parts of the female body, such as the pelvis or cervix, may partly explain it. for this relationship. However, another study found that tall pregnant women face a greater risk of gestational diabetes than short pregnant women.

A study of more than 22,000 men from seven different countries found that shorter men had a higher risk of balding. In the search for changes in the genome responsible for increasing a man's rate of premature hair loss, scientists discovered four genes that are both linked to male pattern baldness and influence male pattern baldness. affect the height of the human body.

In recent years, several studies on how height affects life expectancy have shown that short people tend to live a little longer than tall people. In addition, short people are also less likely to suffer from chronic diseases as they get older. The reason behind this conclusion is still being studied by scientists. Some of the areas that are being investigated include the extent to which cells are damaged over time, levels of certain hormones and the size of internal organs, such as the brain, liver and kidneys.

Shorter people rarely experience extreme heat exhaustion, also known as heatstroke. The main reason is that taller and heavier people will produce more body temperature. If the body produces heat faster than it loses heat, such as during intense exercise, heatstroke or heat exhaustion can result.
On the other hand, in cold weather, taller people are easier to keep warm than shorter people for the same reason.

People of short height will rarely experience back pain or hip fractures. One reason tall people are more at risk of hip fractures is because of their center of gravity. The effect of superior height not only makes a person more likely to fall, but also causes the back and hips to hit the ground with greater force.
In summary, height is also related to health, such as the incidence of diabetes, heart disease, stroke or height affects life expectancy. But whether the person is oversized or more modest than average, there are distinct pros and cons. Therefore, keeping healthy living habits, a moderate, scientific lifestyle and regular checkups will play a more important role than the effects of height on health.

Reference source: webmd.com