Do taller people live longer? Evaluating the relationship between adult stature and longevity

Abstract

Abstract Body height is positively correlated with overall health and survival. Previous studies have found that taller people are healthier and live longer than their smaller counterparts. Despite numerous investigations, the correlation between adult stature and longevity remains uncertain. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between adult height and lifespan. Data were available from 480493 men and 364666 women who died in the years 2004-2008 in Poland. Pearson’s r coefficients of correlation were calculated and ANOVA was employed. The correlation between height and longevity was negative and statistically significant in men (r = –0.27, p < 0.0001) and women (r = –0.25, p < 0.0001). However, after allowing for the cohort effect, these correlations proved to be very weak and significant. On balance, these results do not corroborate the hypothesis that taller people live longer, and the effects of body height on survival were small. In this article, these findings are discussed in an attempt to identify the biological mechanisms that are responsible for greater longevity in short people. This paper also deals with several biological factors and mechanisms involved in the link between body size and longevity.