Study: Shorter people at higher risk of type-2 diabetes

The association of height with diabetes risk appeared to be stronger among normal-weight individuals, with an 86 per cent lower risk per 10cm larger height in men, and 67 per cent lower risk per 10cm larger height in women. In overweight/obese individuals, each 10cm larger height was associated with diabetes risk being 36 per cent lower for men and 30 per cent lower for women.

This may indicate that a higher diabetes risk with larger waist circumference counteracts beneficial effects related to height, irrespective of whether larger waist circumference is due to growth or due to consuming too many calories, according to the researchers.

"Our study also suggests that early interventions to reduce height-related metabolic risk throughout life likely need to focus on determinants of growth in sensitive periods during pregnancy, early childhood, puberty and early adulthood, and should take potential sex-differences into account," they added.

"We found an inverse association between height and risk of type-2 diabetes among men and women, which was largely related to leg length among men," the researchers concluded.

TAGS : study, shorter people at higher risk of type-2 diabetes, shorter people, type-2 diabetes, ifairer