Greater Height, Better Heart According to Genetics

          Did you know that for every 2.5 inches shorter you are than someone else, you have a 13.5% higher risk of developing coronary heart disease? Yes! Height can impact your risk for developing the disease. Here is a specific example:

          Fred, standing at a whopping 5'5'', is friends with Chris, whose height is 6'6''. Because of Fred's much smaller stature, he has a 70.2% higher risk of developing heart disease than Chris does. Now you're probably thinking, why does height have such a significant impact on risk for the disease?

          The New England Journal of Medicine recently released its study, using data collected from 200,000 individuals, on the linkage between height and risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) throughout a person's life. One of the researchers stated, according to USA Today, that "the more height-increasing genetic variants that you carry, the lower your risk of coronary heart disease". TIME released an article in 2014 announcing the discovery of more genes linked to height determination, and stated that "as much as 80% of the variance in height among people is due to their DNA." As science advances, genetics is beginning to play a much larger role in linkage to health risks.

          However, the Journal's study has received skepticism from scientists around the nation. The majority of the study's participants were male, and so the results can only be confidently applied to male individuals. Because of their genes, it seems that short males are out of luck. USA Today, though, offers hope for shorter males, stating that they are often found to have significantly longer lifespans in general.

          I personally am skeptical of the results from the New England Journal of Medicine's study. Although a large sample size (200,000) was used, the uneven variation in gender of the participants makes me question whether the results were skewed. If the results are accurate, I'd be surprised because, when thinking of CHD, I often think of risk factors like overeating and little exercise, rather than physical height of an individual.