Shorter people ‘at higher risk of heart disease’

New research has indicated a link between a person's physical height and their risk of coronary heart disease, with shorter people at a greater risk than taller individuals.

According to the University of Leicester study, every 2.5 inches of change in a person's height affects their risk of coronary heart disease by 13.5 percent, with a five-foot tall person having a 32 percent higher risk of heart disease than someone six inches taller.

Previously, it was not understood if this was a direct causal relationship, or if it was due to other influencing factors such as poor socioeconomic environment or nutrition during childhood, which affect a person's physical development and heart disease risk at the same time.

However, this new study utilised a genetic approach to show that the correlation is indeed a primary relationship and is not due to confounding factors.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, head of the university's department of cardiovascular sciences, said: "Better and fuller understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie the relationship between shorter height and higher risk of coronary heart disease may open up new ways for its prevention and treatment."

Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of premature death worldwide. It kills more than 73,000 people in the UK each year.