[The Epoch Times, June 6, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Li Shaowei compiled and reported) New research suggests that taller people are at greater risk of peripheral neuropathy, skin and bone infections, and heart disease, high blood pressure Lower risk of blood pressure and high cholesterol.
That’s what a new study from the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center found. The study, which included more than 200,000 whites and more than 50,000 blacks, is one of the largest worldwide on the issue.
People have learned from experience that there is some relationship between height and common diseases like heart disease and cancer. But scientists have been hard-pressed to determine whether this is due to the effect of height on the body, or factors such as nutrition and socioeconomic class.
The study stripped away various other factors and looked at the relationship between different diseases and people’s height independently, as well as the relationship between different diseases and the height predicted from their genes.
The study used data collected by the VA Million Veteran Program, which included genetic and health profiles of more than 200,000 white adults and more than 50,000 black adults. The researchers looked at more than 1,000 symptoms and characteristics in the largest study of its kind to date.
The findings confirmed that taller people had a higher risk of heart fibrillation, varicose veins, and a lower risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This is consistent with the findings of some previous small-scale studies.
In addition, this study has some new findings. The researchers found that taller people were also at greater risk for peripheral neuropathy and skin and bone infections. Peripheral neuropathy refers to disorders in which the terminal nerves are damaged; skin and bone infections refer to conditions such as leg and foot ulcers.
“We found evidence that height in adults may be associated with more than 100 clinical signs, with good Several are more serious symptoms that affect people’s quality of life, such as peripheral neuropathy, inflammation of lower extremity nerve endings, chronic venous insufficiency, and more.”
“Our study concludes that height may be a previously overlooked and unmodifiable risk factor associated with multiple diseases common to adults.”
The study was published June 2 in the journal PLOS Genetics. ◇
Responsible editor: Ye Ziwei
