Studies say that taller men can have lower risks of dementia in their later years
| Updated: Feb 13, 2020, 12:09 IST
According to a new research, men who are taller in their younger adulthood can have a lower risk of dementia when they turn old.
Studies previous to this have suggested that the height of men plays a big role in the risk factor for dementia, although not much of this research was able to take into account the genetics, environmental or early-life factors into consideration that may be linked to both dementia and height.
The lead author Terese Sara Hoj Jorgensen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark said, "We wanted to see if body height in young men is associated with diagnosis of dementia, while exploring whether intelligence test scores, educational level, and underlying environmental and genetic factors shared by brothers explain the relationship."
When the team took into account the potential role of intelligence or education, the difference between height and dementia was only slightly reduced.
They even found that the relationship between the two also existed when they looked at brothers with different heights which suggested that genetics and family characteristic don't really explain why shorter men have higher risks of dementia.
Study senior author Merete Osler said, "A key strength of our study is that it adjusted for the potential role of education and intelligence in young men's dementia risk, both of which may build up cognitive reserve and make this group less vulnerable to developing dementia."
He even said, "Together, our results point to an association between taller body height in young men and a lower risk of dementia diagnosis later in life, which persists even when adjusted for educational level and intelligence test scores. Our analysis of the data concerning brothers confirms these findings, and suggests the association may have common roots in early-life environmental exposures that are not related to family factors shared by brothers."
Studies previous to this have suggested that the height of men plays a big role in the risk factor for dementia, although not much of this research was able to take into account the genetics, environmental or early-life factors into consideration that may be linked to both dementia and height.
The lead author Terese Sara Hoj Jorgensen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark said, "We wanted to see if body height in young men is associated with diagnosis of dementia, while exploring whether intelligence test scores, educational level, and underlying environmental and genetic factors shared by brothers explain the relationship."
When the team took into account the potential role of intelligence or education, the difference between height and dementia was only slightly reduced.
They even found that the relationship between the two also existed when they looked at brothers with different heights which suggested that genetics and family characteristic don't really explain why shorter men have higher risks of dementia.
Study senior author Merete Osler said, "A key strength of our study is that it adjusted for the potential role of education and intelligence in young men's dementia risk, both of which may build up cognitive reserve and make this group less vulnerable to developing dementia."
He even said, "Together, our results point to an association between taller body height in young men and a lower risk of dementia diagnosis later in life, which persists even when adjusted for educational level and intelligence test scores. Our analysis of the data concerning brothers confirms these findings, and suggests the association may have common roots in early-life environmental exposures that are not related to family factors shared by brothers."