We covered some aspects about tall individuals’ health in part 1 of our post about health risks and advantages that come with being tall. (link: https://www.tallslimtees.com/blog/health-risks-and-advantages-that-come-with-being-tall/) However, at TallSlim Tees we care so much about our tall friends and costumers staying healthy that we have a few more tips to share with you.
Taller Individuals Need More Vitamin D
In a study shared in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, vitamin D levels were measured in intercollegiate athletes. A correlation was found between low vitamin D levels and athletes who were taller or had a larger body mass. From this study, we learn that taller individuals need more vitamin D than their shorter counterparts. This may be a good excuse to take a sunny vacation or at least take a vitamin D supplement.
Taller People Suffer More Injuries
Studies have shown that tall people are more injury-prone that short people. To make matters worse, tall individuals injuries are generally worse than those who are shorter. The reason for this is that when tall people fall, they are falling from a higher height which leads to a harder impact. Even taller elderly people have higher incidences of hip fractures. (link: https://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2007/09/21/what-to-do-when-a-hip-breaks)
Tall Individuals are Less Likely to be Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease
The risk of Alzheimer’s Disease does increase with age and a family history of Alzheimer’s, which is the most common cause for dementia in older people and affects about 5.4 million Americans. However, a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2007 found that men who were 5’10’’ had a 59% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to men who were shorter that 5’6’’. This holds true for women as well. A woman who is 5’7’’ is 50% less likely to die from dementia than a woman who is 5’1’’.
Tall Women have a Lower Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Sorry tall guys, this study doesn’t apply to you. Studies done by Iranian researches showed that the taller a woman is, the less likely she will develop type 2 diabetes. However, men had similar diabetes risk no matter what their height was. Another study for the Netherlands found that tall individuals are more sensitive to insulin and on average have lower fat content in their liver, which may explain the lower risk of diabetes for tall women.
