Your Height Could Put Your Heart at Risk

Your Height Could Put Your Heart at Risk

While good things can come in small packages, being short in height can be risky for your heart health, new research suggests.

Being of a shorter stature could mean you are more at risk of developing heart problems including coronary heart disease, according to a study by researchers from the UK and around the world including University of Leicester and the University of Cambridge and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The researchers found that for every 2.5 inches shorter in height someone is, there is a 13 percent increased risk of coronary heart disease.

For the study, researchers compared the genetics of nearly 2000,000 people, average age of 57, with and without CHD (coronary heart disease.) Out of those, 65,066 people had CHD and 128,383 people had no history of CHD. They looked for genetic variations that were linked to both shorter height and CHD.

Heart disease involves the narrowing or blockage of blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain or stroke. Other heart conditions can affect the heart’s muscle, valves or rhythm. Many forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices.

Photo credit: pickingpok/Shutterstock

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