The Long and Short of It
The average height for men in the U.S. is about 5 feet 9
inches. For women, it’s about 5 feet 4 inches. If you’re taller or shorter than
average, you might notice a few pros and cons to your size. That holds true as
your height relates to your health, too. While height -- or lack of it –
doesn’t cause any health conditions, studies show it may make you more or less
likely to have certain problems.
Cancer
Some research shows that a below-average height may mean you
have lower odds of getting some types of cancer. For example, a study of more
than 100,000 women in Europe and North America showed that shorter women are
less likely to get ovarian cancer. Another of more than 9,000 British men
between ages 50 and 69 showed that shorter men had lower chances of getting
prostate cancer.
Diabetes
The length of your legs may be linked to your chances of
getting type 2 diabetes. Based on 5 years of data on more than 6,000 adults,
scientists think tall people may be less likely to get it. It’s not clear why
the two are related, but one idea is that short stature is a sign of poor
nutrition or other metabolism problems before birth or during childhood.
Heart Disease
Scientists aren’t sure exactly why, but people who are
shorter than 5 feet 3 inches are about 50% more likely to get coronary heart
disease than those who are 5 feet 8 inches or taller. The reason may be poor
nutrition or infections before birth or in childhood that affect growth. It
could also be that your genes affect both height and your odds of heart
problems later in life.
Stroke
This happens when blood flow to an area of your brain gets
cut off. Taller people are less likely to have one, and this is especially true
if they’re at a healthy weight. Nutrition and other health-related things in
childhood that affect how tall you are may be one reason for the link.
Blood Clot
This can be a serious condition, especially if one forms in
a major vein or travels to your lungs. Researchers can’t explain why, but
studies show that the shorter you are, the less likely you are to have a blood
clot in a vein. People who are 5 feet or shorter have the lowest chances of
getting one.
Alzheimer’s disease
Height may be an advantage when it comes to this type of
dementia, especially for men. One study of more than 500 people showed that men
who are about 5 feet 11 inches or taller are almost 60% less likely to have
Alzheimer’s disease than those who are about 5 feet 7 inches or shorter. Taller
women may have lower odds of it as well, but the link to height doesn’t seem to
be as strong for them.
Pregnancy
Tall women are more likely to have longer pregnancies than
shorter women. In one study, women who were 5 feet or shorter were more likely
to give birth before they reached full term than those who stood 5 feet 8
inches or taller. And for every centimeter of difference in height between two
pregnant women, the shorter woman gave birth one-fifth of a day sooner.
Scientists aren’t sure why this is, but it could be related to the size of
certain body parts, like the pelvis or cervix.
Hair Loss
A study of more than 22,000 men from seven countries showed
that shorter guys have a greater chance of going bald. The scientists looked
for changes in specific genes that can raise a man’s odds of losing their hair
early. They found four that were linked to both male-pattern baldness and
shorter stature.
Longer Life
Several studies over the years have shown that shorter
people tend to live a little longer than taller people and have fewer long-term
diseases as they age. Scientists are still studying the reasons behind this,
but some areas they’re looking into include the amount of damage to cells over
time, the levels of some hormones, and the size of some organs, like the brain,
liver, and kidneys.
Heat Exhaustion
Shorter people are less likely to get overheated or have the
more serious condition called heatstroke. This is mainly because taller -- and
heavier -- people make more body heat. If they make it faster than they can get
rid of it, like during intense exercise, which can lead to heat stroke or heat
exhaustion. On the flip side, taller people also get colder faster than shorter
people in colder weather because a larger surface area means more heat loss.
Lower Back and Hips
Shorter people are less likely to have lower back pain or
break a hip. One possible reason taller people have a bigger chance of a hip
fracture is their high center of gravity. That not only makes them more likely
to fall, but it also may make them hit the ground with more force if they do.
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