The article, “Shorter Stature May Pose Higher Risk of Heart Disease”, was published in The New York Times. The article talked
about how shorter people have an increased risk of heart disease. Doctors have always
said that as a joke, but recently they found out that it is actually true.
After analyzing genetic data they found that for every extra 2.5 inches brings
a 13.5 % decrease in risk of heart disease. There is a 30% increased risk for a
person that is five feet compared to a person who is five feet six inches. This
risk is strictly with height, not with the other factors, such as smoking,
weight, exercise, cholesterol, or diet.
There are 180 genetic variants of height and they hope to find which of those affect the risk of heart disease. They found some genetic variants that were more likely to cause heart disease, but they did not know what they controlled, obesity, diabetes, etc. What they did find was that one variant had higher LDL levels. Although they have data, some people are not completely buying it and are saying that the correlation is not strong and it could be caused by something else.
There are 180 genetic variants of height and they hope to find which of those affect the risk of heart disease. They found some genetic variants that were more likely to cause heart disease, but they did not know what they controlled, obesity, diabetes, etc. What they did find was that one variant had higher LDL levels. Although they have data, some people are not completely buying it and are saying that the correlation is not strong and it could be caused by something else.
The reason why this article caught my eye was because, I,
myself am short, measuring in at 5 feet 2 inches. After reading the article,
they did make valid points, and with the data shows that I have a
predisposition for heart disease, just from my height. Which in a way is a good
thing to know, because it can make me get checked for it more regularly and
make sure I keep up my diet and exercising habits. There is still more to be
found about the height being a factor in heart disease, but so far I find it
very interesting and will definitely be keeping up with it.
I found this so interesting! I'm also short so this is valuable information for me as well. I would have never known that there is such a dramatic risk increase dependent on a variable that seems so unrelated. I'm definitely interested to see what further research uncovers.
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