Men taller than 5’9 at higher risk of a range of serious conditions, new study finds

Short kings, rejoice

A study of hundreds of thousands of adults has found that tall people are at greater risk of a range of health conditions compared to shorter people. The research discovered that the greater risk was particularly applicable to white men. Men taller than 5ft 9in - the average height for men in the US - were more likely to develop health problems involving the veins and extremities of the body, according to the study published in the journal PLOS Genetics. Researchers looked at genetic and medical data from more than 280,000 adults, the majority of whom were male (91 per cent) and white (73 per cent). They found that 127 medical conditions could be linked to "genetically predicted height in white patients." Being above average height was linked to a higher risk of most of the health conditions looked at in the study. Taller participants were more likely to develop nerve damage in the hands and feet, known as peripheral neuropathy. It is thought that this could be because the added body mass of being tall puts extra pressure on the bones, muscles and feet. Tall people were also more likely to develop problems with circulation, such as blood clots and varicose veins, and skin and bone infections. The study lead, Dr. Sridharan Raghavan, said in a press release that the results were a "significant contribution to understanding how height is related to clinical conditions from an epidemiologic perspective." It's not all bad news for those pushing 6ft and beyond though, with the study finding that being tall seems to protect against most heart conditions. Researchers found that tall people had a lower risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. They also had lower coronary artery disease risk. Related links:

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