This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
According to a study published on September 10, 2019, in the medical journal Diabetologia, shorter people are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Researchers found that for every additional 10 centimeters in height, men have a 41 percent smaller chance of contracting the disease, while women have a 33 percent smaller chance.
The study, which drew from a detailed medical survey of over 16,600 women and nearly 11,000 men in Potsdam, Germany from 1994 to 1998, suggested that the increased health risk in shorter individuals may be linked to higher liver fat content and a larger number of risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Additionally, the study found that insulin sensitivity and the functioning of special cells in the pancreas that secrete the hormone are better in taller people.
With over 420 million people worldwide suffering from diabetes, the International Diabetes Federation estimates that the number will rise to 629 million by 2045.
Diabetes is divided into two sub-types: type 1, which is generally diagnosed in childhood and accounts for about 10 percent of cases, and type 2, which is correlated highly with obesity and can lead to serious complications if left untreated.
