Study shows short men live longer

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino men are often concerned of their short stature, but being vertically challenged is not necessarily a drawback when it comes to prolonged existence. A study in Hawaii shows that shorter men most probably have longer lives than those who are taller. How true is this?

Researchers from the University of Hawaii found that shorter men were more likely to have a protective form of the longevity gene, FOXO3, which is linked to having a longer life. They have discovered this after studying for 40 years, 8,006 Japanese-American men in Hawaii. To ensure that they can gather interesting findings that they would not be able to get in a diverse group, all the subjects were genetically and culturally homogenous.

They split the group into two, those five-foot-two and shorter, and five-foot-four and taller. Results showed that folks that were five-foot-two and shorter lived longest. The range was seen all the way across from being five-foot tall to six-foot tall.

University of Hawaii researcher and study co-author Bradley Willcox said in a statement that for the first time, the study showed that body size is linked or correlated to FOXO3.

Photo from Plos One

Despite the findings and conclusions, Dr. Willcox noted that height is just one of the factors that make up individual’s longevity profile. “No matter how tall you are, you can still live a healthy lifestyle,” he said.

The research has been published in the scientific journal Plos One, and was funded in part by the US National Institute on Aging.