Is it healthier to be tall or to be short?

Question

What are the pros/cons of each, health wise? And which would you say is ultimately better?

Tall being like in the 6's and short being 5 6 and below.

Answer 1

It's complicated.

If you have better nutriution, you'll get closer to your (genetic) maximum height. And you'll be healthy, stronger and smarter for having the better nutriution (compared to having an incomplete diet).

And yet, small dog breeds live considerably longer than large ones.

All the very long-lived humans (that 120-y.o. Japanese man, that 122? y.o. French women, etc) are small - like 5 feet or so.

Calorie reduction, by 30% or so, extends the life of every animal it has been tried in. By 20% or so. Invertabrates, mice, rats, dogs (most recently complete study) and primates (in an on-going study, the calorie-reduced individuals have fewer age-related diseases.)

So someone born a century ago and living through a few big wars probably missed a few meals. And that seems to help them live longer. Maybe not stronger, smarter or taller, but longer.

Not really an issue for modern humans. You can't get overweight people to lose weight despite much bigger and clearer medical risks. You probably can't get 99 in 100 to get below USRDA calories for the long term, even if you promise them they'll live an extra 10-15 years.

Men and women probably tend to select tall partners both because of social factors (media, etc) and because of instinct to select the most successful of possible mates. Someone who was the better hunter, gather, gardener, fighter, socializer, etc got more food and grew taller. So tall is a good marker for other traits.

On balance? Being tall gets you more mates and money. Being short gives slightly more years. So it is sort of a choice of living well and dying young versus the reverse.

Answer 2

Tall stature and rapid growth spurts have been associated with increased cancer risks in numerous medical studies. The studies suggest this may be related to increased levels of a hormone called IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor) that results from the increased growth process.

So, medium height might be a better bet for long-term health.

Best wishes.

Answer 3

Your question caught my eye. Although small animals have been known to live longer, I am not sure this is true with humans. I have not researched the pros & cons. I do believe it depends on genetics and the individual. Here is a link I found interesting about the tallest man. He died at a young age, but life expectancy has increased since then, and different antibiotics are available to treat different things. Check this out! I hope you get the answer on here you are looking for!
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/index.asp?ID=48409

Answer 4

If you are asking about health relating to longevity, then being smaller (shorter and lighter weight) is the best.

Falls are worse for older tall people than smaller ones. They fall and are injured more often, and suffer from more severe trauma when it happens.

Taller, larger people do not live as long, just look around at the healthy old people near you.

Answer 5

I am 5'4" 20yrs old, I have heard that short people have a lower health span, i guess because of smaller organs, but there is too many variables to even make that an accurate statment. Id say that anything between 5'6" - 6'2" is superb.

Answer 6

that's a really good question!!! Too bad I don't have an answer for you!! I myself am 5'11" (pretty tall for a woman), and I would say I am relavitely healthy. I would say that if you're tall the only ill affects might be poor posture if you don't sit or stand up straight.

Answer 7

A few inches doesn't make a big difference, but it's a fact that people who are very tall tend to have more problems with their internal organs.

Answer 8

It's probably healthier to be tall. If you are a guy and short, you have high blood pressure because you are constantly worried and anguished that you are short. Then you take steroids, as if that makes you taller.

Answer 9

not too tall, not too short(don't be less than 3 1/2 feet)

Answer 10

it good to be tall. tallness gives little push to personality. good personality is always respected in world. shortness is gives little low profile but if one is short one can't help. BE TALL AND ALWAYS TRY TO REACH THE HEIGHTS OF SKY ..................bye