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Short Men are Blessed With Longevity: Study

Short Men are Blessed With Longevity
(Photo : Flickr) Short Men are Blessed With Longevity

Short men live longer than their tall counterparts, according to a study.

It is scientifically proven that an individual's personality traits, lifestyle habits and social life can influence the number of years he lives. Researchers from the Kuakini Medical Center, University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine found Japanese men who stand 5 feet and 2 inches tall or lesser have higher lifespan due to the presence of specific longevity related gene FOXO3.

They used data from the Kuakini Honolulu Heart program and the aging study involving more than 8,000 American men of Japanese descent with heights ranging between 5 feet and 6 feet who were born between 1900 and 1919. The lifestyle pattern, health and medical conditions of the participants were followed by the experts for more than 50 years. The study grouped the subjects according to their heights- one group had men who were 5 feet 2 inches or shorter and the rest about 5 feet 4 inches or taller.  

It was observed that men who were 5 feet 2 inches or shorter lived the longest and the taller the men, lesser the life span. The findings revealed the FOXO3 gene was responsible for making men shorter during their growth years by adding them extra number of years. Short men also have less insulin content in the blood and are less likely to die develop cancer.

"This study shows for the first time, that body size is linked to this gene," said Bradley Willcox, one of the investigators and professor in the University of Hawaii in a press release.

"We knew that in animal models of aging. We did not know that in humans. We have the same or a slightly different version in mice, roundworms, flies, even yeast has a version of this gene, and it's important in longevity across all these species."

The study authors urge people to adopt healthy living habits irrespective of their height to ward of the disease risk instead of enhancing the longevity gene in the body.

More information is available online in the journal PLoS ONE.

May 10, 2014 07:03 AM EDT By

MD News Daily

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