Short People At Greater Risk Of Heart Disease, Say Scientists

Being short comes with its disadvantages. But this one really takes the biscuit.

Scientists have confirmed that smaller people have a greater risk of heart disease.

In fact, the study revealed that the more vertically challenged you are, the greater the chance of heart issues. So a 5ft person (on average) has a 32% higher risk of heart disease compared with someone 5ft 6ins tall.

Scientists investigated 180 genetic variants known to affect height in a study group of almost 200,000 people.

They found that every change in height of around 2.5 inches linked to these variants raised or lowered the risk of heart disease by around 13.5%.

Dr Christopher Nelson, one of the researchers from the University of Leicester, said: "The more height increasing genetic variants that you carry the lower your risk of coronary heart disease, and conversely if you were genetically shorter the higher your risk."

An association between height and heart disease risk has been known for more than 60 years, but scientists did not know if the link was causal.

Factors such as poverty or poor nutrition during childhood could have both increased vulnerability to heart disease and stunted growth.

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Study leader Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, from the University of Leicester, said the genetic analysis showed that the association was "primary" and not due to "confounding factors".

He added: "The beauty about DNA is that it cannot be modified by one's lifestyle or socio-economic conditions.

Therefore if shorter height is directly connected with increased risk of coronary heart disease one would expect that these variants would also be associated with coronary heart disease and this is precisely what we found."

The exact mechanisms driving the association remain unknown but are thought to involve "shared biological processes" affecting both height and heart disease risk.

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7 Proven Ways To Prevent Heart Disease

2,000 extra daily steps = 10% lower risk(01 of07)

In this global study, adults over 50 who were at high risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes who walked an additional 2,000 steps a day—about 20 minutes of brisk walking—reduced their risk of having a cardiovascular “event,” such as a heart attack or stroke, by 10 percent over the next six years. “Other than not smoking, nothing comes close to physical activity for prevention,” says Dr. Church. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of papers support it.” Achieving the goal of being physically active for 150 minutes a week, including strength training a couple of days a week, can reduce your cardiovascular risk by about 25 percent, he says. “There’s a dose response, which means the more you exercise, the more you benefit.” The biggest benefit, though, comes from going from sedentary to mildly active, such as walking 10 minutes a day. Says Dr. Church, “The biggest bang is just getting off the couch.” (credit:Shutterstock)

An 7 extra grams of fiber daily = 9% lower risk(02 of07)

In a meta-analysis of 22 studies, British researchers found that people who ate seven more grams of dietary fiber had a nine percent lower risk of heart disease. How much is that? A medium apple has 5 grams of dietary fiber, as does a half cup of cooked broccoli. A half cup of cooked lentils: 8 grams. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole grains are all good sources of fiber. “Fiber has beneficial effects on blood glucose and cholesterol, and it may keep your gastrointestinal tract healthier, reducing inflammation,” says Dr. Church. “Eating more fiber is also a marker of a healthier diet.” (credit:Shutterstock)

Daily glass of wine = 25% lower risk(03 of07)

“It’s pretty powerful,” says Dr. Church. “Drinking in moderation cuts your risk of heart disease by about 25 percent.” That’s defined as no more than one daily drink for a woman, two for a man. Not everyone can drink moderately, of course, but if you can, research shows it’s heart healthy.“It relaxes your blood vessels, so you can’t form a clot while alcohol’s on board,” says Dr. Church. “Any alcohol has benefits, but wine has a little more,” says Dr. Church. The healthiest pattern: “A drink or two every couple of days.” (credit:Shutterstock)

Multivitamins = zero heart benefit(04 of07)

The Agency for Healthcare Research Quality, a federal research agency, recently concluded that simply taking a multivitamin/multimineral pill won’t reduce your risk of heart disease. “It’s no surprise,” says Dr. Church. After all, preventing heart disease isn’t what multis are built to do—they’re to shore up nutrient deficiencies. “While the evidence for heart disease prevention isn’t there,” says Dr. Church, “taking multis won’t hurt you.” As for research that low vitamin D is associated with a 27 percent increased risk of developing heart disease, Dr. Church thinks it’s simply a marker for an inactive lifestyle, meaning since most people get their vitamin D from the sun, “people with high vitamin D levels are outside more—and probably more active,” he says. If you do have low D levels, Dr. Church supports taking supplements. But whether it will affect heart health isn’t fully clear. What he does think makes a difference: Omega 3 fatty acids, found primarily in fatty fish such as salmon. The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults eat at least two fish meals a week. But if you don’t, won’t, or can’t, you may want to consider a 1-gram Omega supplement that includes both EPA and DHA, two forms of Omega 3s found in fish. While the heart disease preventive benefits of taking Omega 3 supplements hasn’t been established, says Dr. Church, “there is a lot of strong epidemiological evidence for Omega 3s. I’m a big proponent — I believe there’s value there.” (credit:Shutterstock)

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This one has a catch—it’s about people who already have heart disease. A recent analysis found that in people with existing heart disease, getting the flu shot reduces the risk of cardiovascular events like a heart attack by 36 percent. “Getting the flu puts great stress on your body and increases the risk of having another heart attack,” says Dr. Church. A flu shot is a good idea for everyone—it’s not too late since flu peaks around the end of February, beginning of March!—and if you’re at high cardiovascular risk, or already have heart disease, that little jab could be a lifesaver. (credit:Shutterstock)

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A healthy lifestyle = 25% less chance of dying from heart disease(07 of07)

Talk about big picture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that if everyone didn’t smoke, ate a healthy diet, exercised regularly, achieved a healthy weight, and got regular checkups so they could control risk factors such as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels, then death from heart disease would fall by 25 percent. That’s 200,000 lives saved – each year. (credit:Shutterstock)

Dr Nelson said: "We also examined whether the association we found between shorter height and higher risk of coronary heart disease could be explained by an effect of height on known risk factors for coronary heart disease like cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes etc.

"We only observed an association with cholesterol and fat levels which could explain a small proportion (less than a third) of the relationship between shorter height and coronary heart disease."

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which part-funded the study, said: "By using the power of very large scale genetic studies, this research is the first to show that the known association between increased height and a lower risk of coronary heart disease is at least in part due to genetics, rather than purely down to nutrition or lifestyle factors."

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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