Key result
Greater height is linked to ~26% lower odds of elevated BP but greater central obesity.
Why the study?
The relation of height to cardiovascular risk is less evident in non-western settings and may vary with socioeconomic development stage.
Is height associated with metabolic syndrome and its components in Chinese adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=2,860)
Is height associated with metabolic syndrome and its components in Chinese adults?
Odds Ratio: 0.74 (95% CI 0.58–0.94)
In a Hong Kong Chinese population, the inverse relationship between height and cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure and fasting glucose is confounded by central obesity.
Central obesity may confound height's inverse links to BP and glucose in Chinese adults; leaves open independent effects on metabolic syndrome.
BACKGROUND: Better childhood conditions, proxied by greater height, are usually protective against ischemic heart disease in western countries. These relations are less evident in other settings. METHODS: We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the relation of height to the metabolic syndrome and its components in a rapidly developed Asian population using a representative, cross-sectional Hong Kong Chinese sample of 2860 adults from 1994 to 1996. RESULTS: Height was inversely associated with increased blood pressure (odds ratio = 0.74; 95% confidence interval = 0.58-0.94) and raised fasting plasma glucose (0.71; 0.55-0.91), but only after adjustment for central obesity. Central obesity was also positively associated with height (2.09; 1.67-2.62) for tallest compared with shortest tertile, confounding these relationships. The association between height and central obesity was much stronger in men than in women. CONCLUSION: The relation of height to cardiovascular risk may relate to a society's history and stage of socioeconomic development.
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Schooling et al. (2007) conducted a cross-sectional in Metabolic syndrome (n=2,860). Height vs. Shorter height (shortest tertile) was evaluated on Increased blood pressure (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.94). Greater height was inversely associated with increased blood pressure (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.58-0.94) and raised fasting plasma glucose, but positively associated with central obesity.
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