Contents:
- Medical Video: This Unorthodox Procedure Makes Short People A Foot Taller
- 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. Higher cancer risk
- Then, what can you do?
Medical Video: This Unorthodox Procedure Makes Short People A Foot Taller
Having a tall body like a supermodel is the dream of many people. But unfortunately, behind all the "luxury" of being tall, there are various health problems that lurk. For example, men who are tall are more at risk of dying from malignant prostate cancer than men who are short in stature. There are still 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 genetic parental inheritance. Even so, genes are not the only determinant of the high destiny of your body. 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 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
Study loaded inEuropean Heart Journal mentions that people who are short (below 160 cm) are more prone to heart disease than tall people. They reported that every 6 cm drop from the "benchmark", the risk of heart disease increased by 13.5 percent.
Another study also shows that people who have high bodies have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
The reason is because people who are taller tend to have bigger lung sizes and stronger heart muscles. The greater the lung capacity to store air and the stronger the work of your heart, the smoother blood flow to all parts of the body. Finally, the body is more fit and healthy overall.
2. Lower risk of developing Alzheimer's
A study from Journal of Alzheimer's Disease finding men with tall bodies more than average is at a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's in old age. The same thing applies to women. According to preliminary research from the University of Edinburgh 's College of Medicine, women who had an average height of 170 cm were reported to have a reduced risk of dying from dementia by 50 percent compared to women who were only about 150 centimeters tall.
Even so, this does not mean a guarantee for short people will definitely experience Alzheimer's or dementia. It is still unclear what is the causal relationship between height and its effect on decreasing cognitive function of the brain. The exact cause of these two diseases is not yet known correctly, but beta-plaque residual substances
3. More prone to atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a condition of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Atrial fibrillation can cause complications such as stroke, heart attack, or heart failure.
A study found that women who have a high posture are nearly three times at risk to experience this. Researchers suspect that this increased risk is influenced by the work of the heart muscle which is more active in pumping blood to reach the entire body.
The more the heart muscle is forced to work, the greater the size of the heart muscle so that it triggers a condition called cardiomegaly. As the size of the heart expands, the muscles become stiff which allows for atrial fibrillation to occur.
Even so, height is not a determinant of a person's risk for heart problems. Poor diet, smoking, and rarely exercise 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 venous thrombosis (DVT) is found to be lowest in women and men who are short in stature. The higher your posture, the risk of DVT increases.
This difference in risk can occur because a higher individual has a blood vessel in the leg that is longer, so that there is a wider area of blood vessel surface.
Gravity also plays a role in this blood clotting. High blood vessels receive more gravitational pressure which increases the risk of blood flow slowing down or pausing. Slow blood flow increases the risk of blood clots forming, especially in the legs.
5. Higher cancer risk
Large tall posture has long been regarded as a sign that someone has gone through a process of rapid growth - related to the fulfillment of nutrition at the beginning of the growth period and early puberty. Certain hormones and foods that promote growth in childhood increase a person's risk of developing cancer.
In addition, researchers believe that a person with a large body has more cells in the body as a whole, as well as larger organ sizes and volumes, making them more susceptible to cancer-causing cell mutations.
Then, what can you do?
You cannot 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 the risk of various chronic diseases. Maintain a healthy and balanced diet, be more active in your physical activities or exercise, don't smoke, and don't drink alcohol.
