(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists have long tried to determine whether height improves or worsens health in humans, and now they have the answer.
A new study has found that tall people may be at increased risk of nerve damage as well as skin and bone infections. Although tall stature is not generally considered a risk factor for disease, it is nonetheless associated with numerous diseases.
On the other hand, research has shown that height leads to a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
The research results were published in the journal PLOS Genetics. The scientists concluded that recent advances allow the use of genetic tools to elucidate the relationship between growth and clinical signs.
Scientists have long tried to determine whether altitude is responsible for improving or declining health in humans, or if socioeconomic conditions also play a role.
The study found that tall stature was associated with several clinical features, such as an increased risk of atrial fibrillation and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
The team used data from the VA Million Veteran Program, which includes genetic data associated with clinical records in non-Hispanic white adults and non-Hispanic black adults.
“Tall stature may be an unrecognized but biologically plausible risk factor for several common conditions in adults,” the researchers concluded, but “more research is needed,” the researchers said.
“We found evidence that adult height can affect more than 100 clinical features, including several conditions associated with poor outcomes and quality of life, peripheral neuropathy, leg ulcers, and chronic venous insufficiency,” said study lead author Sridharan Raghavan of School of Medicine at the University of Colorado.
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