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Conducted on American veterans, a new study establishes a link between health and size. Tall people have fewer cardiovascular problems.
Big or small ? Your height seems to affect your health. This is demonstrated by a new American study from the Department of Million Veteran Program (MVP) published in the journal Plos Genetics. If size has not always been considered a health risk factor, this study confirms that there is indeed a correlation between the two. On the other hand, it does not reveal precisely whether this correlation is due to biological factors or to other factors.
Being tall would protect against cardiovascular disease
The study, based on a sample of 280,000 veterans, highlights that being tall would protect against cardiovascular problems. A link is also established between being taller and a lower risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and coronary heart disease. On the other hand, the risk of atrial fibrillation would be higher.
Conversely, being tall may increase risk of non-cardiovascular conditions taken into account in the study. It involves peripheral neuropathy, a functional disorder of the nerves, and disorders of blood flow through the veins. These types of disorders could lead to ulcers in the legs or feet.
Take into account the size of a person to treat it
If height is not a modifiable factor, this study may contribute to treating patients with diseases based on their height differently. The results suggest that height may be an unrecognized but biologically important and immutable risk factor for several conditions, particularly those affecting the extremities.
According to the researchers, it can be helpful to consider a person’s height when assessing the risk of a disease. “Future work should assess whether considering height may impact the management of other modifiable risk factors for certain diseases,” says Dr Sridharan Raghavan.