Short people live longer

Various scientific researches prove that short people live longer

Although the trend in the population is that of a steady increase in stature, various studies suggest that short people have a longer life expectancy.

The study from Hawaii University

The University of Hawaii (UH) study found that short stature lives longer than taller peers. The longevity advantage of short people emerged from research based on data from the “Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program” (HHP) and the “Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study” (HAAS). Professor Bradley Willcox, who works at the University of Hawaii (UH) John A. Burns School of Medicine, found that there was a direct connection between stature and longer lifespan. “We divided people into two groups: those who were 158 centimeters tall or shorter and 164 centimeters taller,” explains Willcox. People who were 158 centimeters tall or shorter, lived longer. The range was observed in all circumstances from 1.52 meters to over 1.82 meters in stature. The taller you tended to be, the shorter your life span. “ What makes short people more long-lived seems to be a sort of protection offered by a particular gene, called “longevity gene”, that is FOXO3. This gene is what causes body size to remain more contained during development. Other factors related to probable longer longevity found by the researchers were lower blood insulin levels and a lower incidence of cancer, also in lower people. “This study shows for the first time that body size is linked to this gene” concludes prof. Willcox.

In short, being short can have its advantages.

Study in Sardinian village

Even studies done in a small Sardinian village tend to contrast the fact that healthier children tend to grow taller. The Sardinian village “Villagrande Strisaili” holds the record of centenary men in Europe. This is due to several factors, including the Mediterranean diet and lively social life, but experts go as far as to hypothesize that the average height of the inhabitants also counts: about 1 meter and 60 cm for the older generation. Among the Sardinian ‘Methuselahs’ the tallest lived about two years less than the shorter neighbors. Another point against tall subjects is the number of cells: being more in number, the risk of mutations that could cause cancer, also increases. A larger body, then, tends to burn more energy, increasing the accumulation of toxic products that could contribute to general wear and tear.

The longevity diet

Longevity biologist Valter Longo, author of the book “the longevity diet”, also cracked the anti-vegan prejudice by demonstrating that animal proteins raise the IGF-1 growth factor that is closely related to cell decay and the appearance of diabetes and tumors. It now seems clear that

“high protein intake causes activation of the growth hormone receptor, which in turn increases the levels of insulin and IGF-1, whose higher concentration is associated with diabetes and cancer respectively”.

Proteins and some amino acids derived from them, including leucine, can activate another set of genes that accelerate aging: the Tor-S6K genes. The combination of sugars and proteins, therefore, activates the accelerators of the body’s degeneration.

Some advice from Valter Longo that you can find also on his website in the section Longevity Diet for Adults are the following:

“Eat mostly vegan, plus a little fish”

“Consume beans, chickpeas, green peas, and other legumes as your main source of protein.”

“Minimize saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (meat, cheese) and sugar, and maximize good fats and complex carbs. Eat whole grains and high quantities of vegetables (tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, legumes, etc.) with generous amounts of olive oil (3 tablespoons per day) and nuts (1 ounce per day).”