What Type of Health Risk is Your Height?
QHHL 
Feb 21 2019
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0 QHHL
Research is divided about how your height affects your health risk. However it’s clear that it is a factor in several serious diseases.
If you’re trying to measure your health risk, then your height must be included. However, this isn’t always easy because the nature of the risk is unclear. Medical researchers are divided about how your height affects your health risk. This means that it could increase your risk of some diseases and lower your risk of others. This type of confusion can be frustrating when it comes to health measurements. Which is why you need all the information possible so you can make the best assessment.
There is some evidence to suggest that taller people are more prone to heart disease. Studies have shown that atrial fibrillation, or a rapid and irregular heart rhythm, is more common in taller people. Marfan syndrome is also more strongly associated with people who are taller. This is a genetic disorder that often includes mitral valve disease and aorta abnormalities. There is also evidence that Mitral valve prolapse may be more common in taller patients without Marfan syndrome.
However, there is also evidence that supports the opposite side of the argument. For example, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and aortic valve calcification are more common in shorter people. This link between heart disease and being short may be due to the 180 genes that control height. Some of these genes also make you more likely to have more bad cholesterol and triglycerides in your system. This may explain why shorter people seem to be more prone to certain cardiovascular diseases. In fact, a recent study of 200,000 people in the UK found that the risk of heart disease increased 14 percent for every 2.5 inches below average height. There is also a gender difference as the link is stronger for men than for women.
This might sound conclusive, but there are some problems with the studies that confuse the issue further.
The data exploring the link between heart disease and height is incomplete. There just aren’t enough studies to be conclusive. Also, there are several samples that contradict the findings. For example, shorter populations in traditional and western societies have a very low rate of cardiovascular disease. This may be due to dietary differences, genetic factors, socioeconomic differences or other factors. At this stage, there are just too many variables to allow for a definitive answer. But this doesn’t mean that you should just ignore the data. This could be dangerous for your health, especially considering a newly discovered connection between height and cancer.
There may be a connection between greater height and cancer. Studies have found that every 4 inches of height increases the risk of cancer by 10 percent. These numbers are especially applicable when it comes to kidney and colon cancer as well as lymphoma. And it’s a frightening finding because there’s nothing you can do to reduce your height and eliminate its health risk.
Researchers have suggested an interesting reason for this link between height and cancer. They claim that it may be because taller people have more cells. If you’re tall, your body naturally contains more cells, and more cells mean a higher chance of mutation. On the other hand, obesity wouldn’t have the same effect. It may make people larger, but it affects the size of cells rather than increasing the number of them. So if true, it would be height alone that influences this health risk.
Another possible cause for this increased health risk is the fact that taller people have more skin. This means that they have a more extensive surface area, which is exposed to the sun and other factors that increase the chances of developing cancer. This health risk can be somewhat diminished. That’s why, if you’re tall, it’s even more important to use sunscreen and take other measures to protect your skin.
You can’t change your height whether you’re tall or short. Fortunately, at this stage it seems like the role of your height in determining your health risk is small. There are other, more important factors that you can and should change. These include obesity, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary choices. So, if your height puts you at greater risk, then you need to make changes in these more impactful areas. This will lower your overall risk and diminish the importance of the factor that you can’t change.
If you’re concerned about a health risk, try using HomeLab to keep track of your condition and any preventative measures you take. And if you see signs of a significant problem, you should check with your doctor as soon as possible.
Tags: Health Risk