Study Shows Height/Heart Health Link

A study that was in part funded by the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research has determined that short people are 50% more likely to have heart problems, the Associated Press is reporting.

While there have been previous studies that showed a link between height and heart problems such as angina, this particular body of research was a vast review of this prior data. 

Specifically, the researchers focused on 52 papers with data on height and heart problems in 3 million male and female patients worldwide.  They found that those who were the shortest in a given population were 1.5 times more likely to have heart problems than their taller counterparts.   In general, short people were defined as those shorter than 5’3”; those considered tall were at least 5’9”.

Although this current research shows a link between height and heart ailments, those taking part in the study emphasize that lifestyle factors still have a more direct effect on heart health.   For example, those who smoke are 4 times more likely to have heart problems than nonsmokers.

Additionally, researchers were quick to point out that though the link between heart health and height is there, more research will need to be done to determine exactly what the correlation is. 

Tuula Paajenen, lead author from the Tampere University Hospital in Finland suggests that people focus on those factors they can change, rather than put too much emphasis on the height issue.

According to the American Heart Association, those risk factors one can manage are:  tobacco, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and overweight, physical activity and diabetes.

For more information on major and/or contributing risk factors for coronary heart disease, visit the American Heart Association website.