- Harish Jharia
It is being repeatedly reported in press that people with shorter height are more susceptible to heart ailments / heart failures. This study has been reported to be funded by Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research and Authors and published online in the European Heart Journal.
Here is the link to one such report online:
Short people at greater risk of heart disease…
Times Of India has published this report in their 10 June 2010 edition with a title “Short people at high risk of heart disease”. They have further elaborated the report that people with shorter height of 5’ 3” and below have higher risk of heart failures
as compared to the people with a height of 5’ 9” and above. I have the following doubts on the report published in Times of India (TOI):
- Height cannot be taken as a criterion for such a huge and sensitive study irrespective of gender
- Humans of different races have different standard / average heights.
- TOI has reported ‘angioplasties’ as ‘heart problems’ where as Angioplasty is a surgery, done for opening up blocked arteries
by inserting a synthetic tube.
- The safe height range as reported in TOI is above 5’ 9”, the dangerous range is below 5' 3" and the people in the doubtful unsafe range are between 5' 3" and 5' 9".
- I am 5’ 8” and if I trust on this report I am well within the unsafe zone. Even about 80% of Indian men women fall in this zone.
- This report has been published in so very casual way and is based on vague criterion. This will create widespread fear psychosis
among most of the Asian people where the average height of males and females fall in the unsafe zone.
I appeal to the people having shorter heights not to panic with this report, in spite of having published in leading print media and internet. You should rather do regular exercise, eat balanced diet and have sound sleep and fun in your life.
Read the following articles:
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