Poor Lung Function in Short People May Up Heart Disease Risk

Short people with poor lung function are more likely to develop heart disease, reveals a new study. Therefore, promoting a healthy lifestyle, especially physical activity can lead to improved lung function.

Short people with poor lung function are at a higher risk of developing heart disease, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Communications Biology.

Results from a study led by researchers from //Queen Mary University of London has found that an association between shorter stature and a higher risk of heart disease is mainly attributed to our lungs.

Coronary Heart Disease - Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Tretment
In coronary heart disease, blood is unable to flow through blocked arteries. The main symptom is chest pain or angina. Treatment is with medications or surgery.

‘Short people with poor lung function are more likely to develop heart disease. Therefore, promoting a healthy lifestyle, especially physical activity can lead to improved lung function.’

In the study, researchers examined over 800 places in the human genome known to be associated with adult height and also evaluated data suggesting that lower height increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

The authors found no evidence of a causal link between height and type 2 diabetes risk once an individual's body mass index was taken into account but reported a causal relationship between height and heart disease risk.

Many traditional risk factors for heart disease were investigated including, cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, fat percentage, and socio-economic parameters including education and income, but results showed that they only account for a very small part of the effect of height on heart disease risk. The way our lungs function accounted for most of this effect.

Flavonoid Consumption May Reduce Lung Function Decline
Flavonoid consumption may slow lung function decline in elderly. Consuming fruits rich in flavonoids such as berries can reduce the decline in lung function among those who have quit smoking or have never smoked..

Lead author, Dr Eirini Marouli from Queen Mary University of London said: "Understanding the causal relationship behind an observation such as the inverse relationship between adult height and heart disease risk is important in advancing our knowledge about the disease and has the potential to point towards lifestyle interventions that can impact disease prevention.

"Our results suggest that we need to assess lung function alongside someone's height to have a better handle in predicting their risk in developing heart disease."

Early Life Exposure to Chemicals Reduces Lung Function in Kids
Exposure to certain household chemicals in the womb is linked to decreased lung function in children, finds a new study.

Heart attacks are one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Nearly one in six men and one in ten women die from heart disease, therefore identifying heart disease risk factors, especially those that could be modified through early lifestyle interventions, is specifically important.

According to Professor Panos Deloukas from Queen Mary University of London, senior author of the study: "Individuals of shorter statute can consider regular exercise and the avoidance of a sedentary lifestyle and smoking to reduce their risk of heart disease given that, as we showed in this study, the effect of shorter height on the risk of heart disease is mediated by lung function.

Short ICU Patients More Likely to Die in Hospital
Being short may increase death risk in ICU patients, reveals a new study.

"Our findings and further studies of this nature, empower efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle and in particular physical activity that can lead to improved lung function."

Source-Eurekalert