Shorter People More at Risk From Heart Disease Says Study

A study of nearly 200,000 men and women found that shorter people have a higher risk of heart disease than their taller counterparts.

Every 2.5 inches up reduce the risk of heart disease by 13.5 percent, according to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

Scientists have long considered there to be a link between height and heart health, but the latest research found that genes controlling height were directly linked to heart disease risks.

To be sure, height is only one of many factors that affect the level of risk.

“In the context of major risk factors this is small – smoking increases the risk by 200-300% – but it is not trivial,” Nilesh Samani, a professor of cardiology at the University of Leicester and lead author of the study, told the BBC News website. “If you’re 6ft 1in, you still need to stop smoking.”

Subscribe to TIME

Get our Health Newsletter. Sign up to receive the latest health and science news, plus answers to wellness questions and expert tips.

Please enter a valid email address.

* The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again.

Sign Up Now

An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later.

Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME.

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Noah Rayman at noah.rayman@time.com.