Short Men Beware: Small Statures Linked to More Heart Problems

Being short puts men at higher risk of coronary heart disease, a new study has found.

The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine claims that the risk of CAD increases 13.5 percent for every 2.5 inches decrease in height. For instance, a person 5 foot tall has a 13.5 percent higher risk of heart disease compared to a man is 5.25 feet tall. Though the study found a strong association between CAD and height, it only partly explained findings.

"Using a genetic approach, we found an association between genetically determined shorter height and an increased risk of CAD. Part of this inverse association may be driven by the association between shorter height and an adverse lipid profile, although the majority of the relationship is likely to be determined by shared biologic processes that determine achieved height and atherosclerosis development," researchers wrote in the journal.

According to CBS News, the study involved genome sequencing of 200,000 people. Researchers then identified genetic sequences responsible for height and correlated it with coronary artery disease in the group.

Researchers also analyzed blood pressure, weight and diabetes to find that bad cholesterol or LDL could explain the association between height and CAD. The study's findings are largely restricted to men but research in the past has shown existence of link between height and heart disease in women.