How Height Affects Your Health
18 Feb 2019
Get out the tape and measure your height. The average height for men is 5 feet 9 inches and for women, 5 feet 4 inches. It may surprise you how much height determines whether you’re bald, likely to get ovarian cancer, a stroke, or break a hip.
Cancer – A study of 100,000 women in Europe and North America showed that shorter women had decreased risk of ovarian cancer. In Britain, short males had less risk of prostate malignancy.
Stroke – Taller people are less likely to have a stroke. And the shorter you are the less likelihood of developing a blood clot such as a fatal pulmonary embolism.
Diabetes – On the other hand, if you’re lucky to be tall, there’s less chance of diabetes.
Heart Disease – If you’re shorter than 5 feet 3 inches, you have a 5 percent greater risk of coronary heart disease than those who are 5 feet 9 inches.
Alzheimer’s disease – Here it’s better to be tall. A survey of 500 people showed those 5 feet 11 inches or taller had 60 percent decreased risk of this crippling disease.
Hair Loss – A study involving seven countries showed shorter guys go bald. But they break their hips less often and have less back pain.
