But as it turns out, the joke might actually be on tall people.
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Do Short People Live Longer?
“Longevity"means a “long life” or a “long life duration.
Ugur Karakoc / Getty Images
Genetics and a healthy lifestyle also significantly influence health and longevity.
Here is what the research has to say about height and lifespan.
The FOX03 Gene
Genetic variations in the FOX03 gene are linked to longevity in humans and animals.
Those over 5 feet, 4 inches would have shorter lives and were not as protected.
This study included 3,901 living and deceased players who played basketball from 1946 through 2010.
Players had an average height of 6 feet, 5 inches.
The top 5% in height died younger than the players at the bottom 5% in height.
The average height for people assigned female at birth in the United States is 5 feet, 4 inches.
It is 5 feet, 9 inches for people assigned male at birth.
Health Risks
Some health risks, such as the following, are associated with human height.
A 2017 study investigated the link between height and VTE among 2 million Swedish siblings.
Atrial fibrillation(A-fib): A-fib is a dangerous heart rhythm disorder.
Why Might Height Affect Life Expectancy?
Examples of diet-related conditions are high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and gallstones.
Such causes include drug overdoses,suicides, organ system diseases, and, since 2020,COVID-19.
Aside from illness, suicide, and overdose, multiple factors affect mortality and life expectancy.
Shorter people might live longer because of their small stature and how their height affects disease risk.
However, these studies are not conclusive because risk factors, including lifestyle and genetics, come into play.
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