Table of contents:
- What determines a person's height?
- Did you know, if you have a tall body it turns out ...
- 1. Lower risk of heart disease
- 2. Lower risk of developing Alzheimer's
- 3. More prone to atrial fibrillation
- 4. More prone to blood clots
- 5. The risk of cancer is higher
- Then, what can you do?
Having a tall body like a supermodel is the dream of many people. But unfortunately, behind all the "luxury" of being a tall person, there are various health problems that lurk. For example, men who are tall are more likely to die from malignant prostate cancer than men who are short. There are many more links between a person's height and the health risks they may have. Come on, find out more!
What determines a person's height?
Height is influenced by the genetic inheritance of the parents. Even so, genes are not the only determinant of your body's destiny. Genetics only helps determine about 60-80 percent of your height, while the rest depends on external environmental factors.
Physical activity and nutritional intake from healthy eating habits (high in protein and calcium) are the two external factors that play the most important role in determining height.
Did you know, if you have a tall body it turns out …
1. Lower risk of heart disease
Studies contained inEuropean Heart Journal states that people who are short (under 160 cm) are more prone to heart disease than people who are tall. They reported that for every 6 cm drop from the "benchmark," the risk of heart disease increased by 13.5 percent.
Another study even shows that people who are tall have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
The reason is because taller people tend to have bigger lungs and stronger heart muscles. The greater the capacity of the lungs to store air and the stronger the work of your heart, the smoother the flow of blood to all parts of the body. Finally, the body will be fitter and healthier overall.
2. Lower risk of developing Alzheimer's
A study from Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that men who were taller than average had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's later in life. The same is true for women. According to preliminary research from the University of Edinburgh's College of Medicine, women who had an average height of 170 cm reported a 50 percent reduced risk of dying from dementia than women who were only about 150 centimeters tall.
Even so, this does not mean that short people will definitely experience Alzheimer's or dementia. It remains unclear what the causal relationship between height and its effect on cognitive decline in brain function is. The exact cause of these two diseases is not yet known, but beta- plaque residue
3. More prone to atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a condition of an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Atrial fibrillation can lead to complications such as stroke, heart attack, or heart failure.
A study found that women who have high body posture nearly three times the risk of experiencing this. Researchers suspect, this increased risk is influenced by the work of the heart muscle which is more active to pump blood to reach the rest of the body.
The more the heart muscle is forced to work, the more it increases the size of the heart muscle, triggering a condition known as cardiomegaly. As the heart expands in size, the muscles become stiff, allowing it to be exposed to atrial fibrillation.
Even so, height is not a determinant of a person's risk for heart problems. Poor diet, smoking and rarely exercising remain the biggest risk factors that you need to be more aware of.
4. More prone to blood clots
The risk of blood clots, aka deep vein thrombosis (DVT), was found to be lowest in women and men who were short. The higher your posture, the risk of DVT also increases.
This difference in risk can occur because taller individuals have blood vessels in their longer legs, so there is a wider surface area of the blood vessels.
Gravity also plays a role in this blood clotting. The leg veins of a person who are taller receive more gravitational pressure, which increases the risk of blood flow to slow down or stop temporarily. Slow blood flow increases the risk of blood clots forming, especially in the legs.
5. The risk of cancer is higher
Posture high and large has long been considered a sign that a person has gone through a process of rapid growth - associated with the fulfillment of nutrition at the beginning of growth and early puberty. Hormones and certain foods that promote growth in childhood contribute to a person's risk of developing cancer.
In addition, researchers believe that a person who is tall and has more cells in his body as a whole, as well as a larger organ size and volume, making it more susceptible to cancer-causing cell mutations.
Then, what can you do?
You can't change your height, but the lesson to be learned from this information is to take the right steps in making healthy lifestyle choices to reduce your risk of various chronic diseases. Maintain a healthy and balanced diet, be more diligent in physical activity or exercise, don't smoke, and don't drink alcohol.
