Height and risk of death among men and women: aetiological implications of associations with cardiorespiratory disease and cancer mortality - PubMed (original) (raw)

Height and risk of death among men and women: aetiological implications of associations with cardiorespiratory disease and cancer mortality

G Davey Smith et al. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2000 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: Height is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease mortality risk and has shown variable associations with cancer incidence and mortality. The interpretation of findings from previous studies has been constrained by data limitations. Associations between height and specific causes of death were investigated in a large general population cohort of men and women from the West of Scotland.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Renfrew and Paisley, in the West of Scotland.

Subjects: 7052 men and 8354 women aged 45-64 were recruited into a study in Renfrew and Paisley, in the West of Scotland, between 1972 and 1976. Detailed assessments of cardiovascular disease risk factors, morbidity and socioeconomic circumstances were made at baseline.

Main outcome measures: Deaths during 20 years of follow up classified into specific causes.

Results: Over the follow up period 3347 men and 2638 women died. Height is inversely associated with all cause, coronary heart disease, stroke, and respiratory disease mortality among men and women. Adjustment for socioeconomic position and cardiovascular risk factors had little influence on these associations. Height is strongly associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and adjustment for FEV1 considerably attenuated the association between height and cardiorespiratory mortality. Smoking related cancer mortality is not associated with height. The risk of deaths from cancer unrelated to smoking tended to increase with height, particularly for haematopoietic, colorectal and prostate cancers. Stomach cancer mortality was inversely associated with height. Adjustment for socioeconomic position had little influence on these associations.

Conclusion: Height serves partly as an indicator of socioeconomic circumstances and nutritional status in childhood and this may underlie the inverse associations between height and adulthood cardiorespiratory mortality. Much of the association between height and cardiorespiratory mortality was accounted for by lung function, which is also partly determined by exposures acting in childhood. The inverse association between height and stomach cancer mortality probably reflects Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood resulting in--or being associated with--shorter height. The positive associations between height and several cancers unrelated to smoking could reflect the influence of calorie intake during childhood on the risk of these cancers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

• Education and occupational social class: which is the more important indicator of mortality risk?
  Davey Smith G, Hart C, Hole D, MacKinnon P, Gillis C, Watt G, Blane D, Hawthorne V. Davey Smith G, et al. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1998 Mar;52(3):153-60. doi: 10.1136/jech.52.3.153. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1998. PMID: 9616419 Free PMC article.
• Impaired lung function and mortality risk in men and women: findings from the Renfrew and Paisley prospective population study.
  Hole DJ, Watt GC, Davey-Smith G, Hart CL, Gillis CR, Hawthorne VM. Hole DJ, et al. BMJ. 1996 Sep 21;313(7059):711-5; discussion 715-6. doi: 10.1136/bmj.313.7059.711. BMJ. 1996. PMID: 8819439 Free PMC article.
• Lifetime socioeconomic position and mortality: prospective observational study.
  Smith GD, Hart C, Blane D, Gillis C, Hawthorne V. Smith GD, et al. BMJ. 1997 Feb 22;314(7080):547-52. doi: 10.1136/bmj.314.7080.547. BMJ. 1997. PMID: 9055712 Free PMC article.
• Height, wealth, and health: an overview with new data from three longitudinal studies.
  Batty GD, Shipley MJ, Gunnell D, Huxley R, Kivimaki M, Woodward M, Lee CM, Smith GD. Batty GD, et al. Econ Hum Biol. 2009 Jul;7(2):137-52. doi: 10.1016/j.ehb.2009.06.004. Epub 2009 Jun 28. Econ Hum Biol. 2009. PMID: 19628438 Review.
• Is height related to longevity?
  Samaras TT, Elrick H, Storms LH. Samaras TT, et al. Life Sci. 2003 Mar 7;72(16):1781-802. doi: 10.1016/s0024-3205(02)02503-1. Life Sci. 2003. PMID: 12586217 Review.

Cited by

• Associations of mortality with own height using son's height as an instrumental variable.
  Carslake D, Fraser A, Davey Smith G, May M, Palmer T, Sterne J, Silventoinen K, Tynelius P, Lawlor DA, Rasmussen F. Carslake D, et al. Econ Hum Biol. 2013 Jul;11(3):351-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ehb.2012.04.003. Epub 2012 Apr 22. Econ Hum Biol. 2013. PMID: 22560304 Free PMC article.
• HMGA2 is confirmed to be associated with human adult height.
  Yang TL, Guo Y, Zhang LS, Tian Q, Yan H, Guo YF, Deng HW. Yang TL, et al. Ann Hum Genet. 2010 Jan;74(1):11-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-1809.2009.00555.x. Epub 2009 Nov 20. Ann Hum Genet. 2010. PMID: 19930247 Free PMC article.
• The relation between adult height and haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke in the Renfrew/Paisley study.
  McCarron P, Hart CL, Hole D, Smith GD. McCarron P, et al. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2001 Jun;55(6):404-5. doi: 10.1136/jech.55.6.404. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2001. PMID: 11350997 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
• Extending life: scientific prospects and political obstacles.
  Miller RA. Miller RA. Milbank Q. 2002;80(1):155-74. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.00006. Milbank Q. 2002. PMID: 11933792 Free PMC article.
• Influence of Height on Risk and Outcome of Patients with Early Breast Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of 4,925 Patients from 5 Randomized Trials of the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG).
  Gampenrieder SP, Pircher M, Fesl C, Rinnerthaler G, Mlineritsch B, Greil-Ressler S, Steger GG, Sagaster V, Fitzal F, Exner R, Devyatko Y, Balic M, Stöger H, Suppan C, Bauernhofer T, Singer CF, Pfeiler G, Seifert M, Helfgott R, Heck D, Rumpold H, Kwasny W, Wieder U, Gnant M, Greil R. Gampenrieder SP, et al. Breast Care (Basel). 2022 Apr;17(2):137-145. doi: 10.1159/000516157. Epub 2021 May 21. Breast Care (Basel). 2022. PMID: 35707180 Free PMC article.

References

1. 1. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1988 Aug;65(2):822-8 - PubMed
2. 1. Eur Heart J. 1992 Dec;13(12):1602-5 - PubMed
3. 1. Int J Epidemiol. 1989 Sep;18(3):602-6 - PubMed
4. 1. Int J Cancer. 1990 Feb 15;45(2):275-9 - PubMed
5. 1. Int J Cancer. 1990 Mar 15;45(3):423-7 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Europe PubMed Central
  • HighWire
  • Ovid Technologies, Inc.
  • PubMed Central

• Medical

  • MedlinePlus Health Information