Short kings, rejoice: Your height may come with a hidden advantage.<\/p>\n
Being tall has its perks, from reaching the top shelf to seeing over crowds, and studies show that people with a few extra inches often report higher confidence and self-esteem.<\/p>\n
But a growing body of research suggests that people of smaller stature may enjoy surprising health benefits \u2014 and it could even help them live longer.<\/p>\n
When it comes to health and longevity, height may actually be on the side of the shorter crowd. Mihail \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
That\u2019s welcome news for Americans, who have been getting shorter<\/a> since the 1980s.<\/p>\n Once one of the tallest nations on Earth, the average US man now stands about 5 feet 9 inches, while women average roughly 5 feet 3.5 inches, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics<\/a>. <\/p>\n Trailing those numbers? Don\u2019t sweat it. Here are four reasons your smaller frame could be secretly working in your favor.<\/p>\n #1: Lower cancer risk <\/p>\n In a 2014 Swedish<\/a> study of over five million people, every 10 centimeters of height seemed to raise the risk of cancer by 18% in women and 11% in men.<\/p>\n Taller women specifically appeared to face a 20% higher risk of breast cancer, while the risk of melanoma increased by about 30% per 10 centimeters in both men and women. <\/p>\n Taller people have more cells, which may increase the chance of mutations. DragonImages \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n An analysis by the World Cancer Research Fund<\/a> also reported taller people may be more likely to develop cancers of the kidneys, ovaries, pancreas, colon and prostate.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just the likelihood of getting cancer<\/a> that appears to rise with height. <\/p>\n A 2016 study of American men and women found that each increase in height corresponded with a 7.1% higher risk of dying from cancer for men and a 5.7% higher risk for women.<\/p>\n Researchers are still investigating why taller people may be more vulnerable, but one theory points to the combination of more cells and higher levels of growth hormones<\/a>, which could increase the chance of cell mutations that fuel cancer development. <\/p>\n #2: Less likely to get a blood clot <\/p>\n In another win for short people, a 2017 study<\/a> of more than two million siblings found that taller individuals may face a higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots in their veins, a condition known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). <\/p>\n Men shorter than 5 feet 3 inches had a 65% lower risk of blood clots compared with men 6 feet 2 inches or taller. Among women, those under 5 feet 1 inch had up to a 69% lower risk than women who are 6 feet or taller.<\/p>\n Researchers believe the link comes from leg length. Longer legs mean longer blood vessels, which can slow blood flow back to the heart \u2014 a factor that may increases clot risk. <\/p>\n \u201cWe hope that height will come to be included in risk assessments for VTE,\u201d Dr. Bengt Z\u00f6ller, lead author of the study, said in a press release<\/a>, noting that more research is needed to confirm a definitive link. <\/p>\n #3: Less likely to break a hip <\/p>\n For older adults, a broken hip can sometimes be more deadly than cancer<\/a> \u2014 but short people may have an advantage here as well. <\/p>\n Tall people may be more likely to break a hip if they fall. Ladanifer \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n A 2016 meta-analysis<\/a> of seven studies found a potential link between greater height and an increased risk of hip fractures. <\/p>\n Researchers offered several explanations, including that taller people have a higher center of gravity than their shorter peers. This makes them more prone to falls and means they may hit the ground with more energy when falling.\u201d <\/p>\n #4: More likely to live longer <\/p>\n On average, shorter people live two to five years longer than their taller peers. <\/p>\n Part of the reason may lie in specific genes passed down through families. <\/p>\n A 2014 study<\/a> of American men of Japanese ancestry found that shorter men were more likely to carry a protective form of the longevity gene, FOXO3. <\/p>\n \u201cWe split people into two groups \u2014 those 5-foot-2 and shorter, and 5-foot-4 and taller,\u201d Dr. Bradley Willcox, one of the study\u2019s investigators, said in a press release<\/a>. \u201cThe folks 5-2 and shorter lived the longest \u2026 The taller you got, the shorter you lived.\u201d <\/p>\n