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In a study published on Monday by the Diabetologia journal, German researchers looked into quite a sizeable problem, literally. Scientists had been studying data that they had collected from 2,500 people and the figures don’t lie. Taller people are apparently less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
How did they carry out the study?
As part of their study, researchers evaluated data that they had collected which also involved measuring the length of people’s legs and the size of their body.
The men involved in the study were between 5ft 6in to 5ft 10in and the women were between 5ft 1in and 5ft 6in. These scientists observed that for these men and women, the risks of developing diabetes were 30% higher for every 10cm difference in height.
How can these results be explained?
Scientists suspect that this could be linked to the fact that taller people are more likely to contract steatohepatitis (a type of fatty liver disease) and develop other problems such as a high cholesterol level.
Reservation and advice
The study claims that smaller people should be monitored and observed more for the appearance of conditions such as diabetes and other heart conditions. But Gail Melkus, a researcher who specialises in the fight against diabetes, explains that this data should however be ‘cautiously interpreted’ because it is secondary data analysis.
Scientists weren’t able to follow a ‘group of people’ going forward. Additional research is therefore necessary because ‘It’s not just one risk factor that we need to consider when screening people for any health condition.’
