Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Associations between body height, body composition and cholesterol levels in middle-aged men. The coronary risk factor study in southern Sweden (CRISS)

  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background: Short body height is associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease; however, mechanisms are not fully explained. In this study, associations between body height and serum cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol) were investigated. Methods: Prospective cohort study of middle-aged men from Helsingborg, Sweden starting 1990. Two birth-year cohorts were invited at 37, 40 and 43 years of age; participation at baseline was 991 (68%). Serum and HDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Non-HDL cholesterol, body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. The participants completed a questionnaire covering lifestyle variables. Results: There were statistically significant inverse correlations between body height and serum cholesterol (−0.11) and non-HDL cholesterol (−0.12). One standard deviation, 6.7 cm, taller body height was associated with a lower serum cholesterol (−0.12 mmol/l) and a lower non-HDL cholesterol (−0.13 mmol/l; p < 0.001). These associations remained when adjusted for BMI and WHR. Men with serum cholesterol equal to or above 6.5 mmol/l were significantly shorter (mean 178.71 cm) than men with serum cholesterol below 6.5 mmol/l (mean 179.71 cm). In addition, BMI and WHR were positively associated with serum and non-HDL cholesterol and inversely associated with HDL cholesterol. The change in cholesterol levels over the six-year follow-up was significantly associated to the change in BMI and WHR. Conclusions: Body height had an independent and inverse relation to serum cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol in middle-aged men, and the lipid pattern suggests that the underlying mechanism might be different from the traditional association between lipids and the metabolic syndrome. Although the direct clinical implication is limited, our results may help to explain the association between short height and risk of myocardial infarction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Marmot MG, Rose G, Shipley M, Hamilton JS. Employment grade and coronary heart disease in British civil servants. J Epidemiol Community Health 1978; 32: 244–249.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hebert PR, Rich-Edwards JW, Manson JE, et al. Height and incidence of cardiovascular disease in male physicians. Circulation 1993; 88: 1437–1443.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Kannam J, Levy D, Larson M, Wilson PF. Short stature and risk for mortality and cardiovascular disease event. Circulation 1994; 90: 2241–2247.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Yarnell JWG, Limb ES, Layzell JM, Baker IA. A risk marker for ischemic heart disease: prospective results from Caerphilly and Speedwell Heart Disease Studies. Eur Heart J 1992; 13: 1602–1605.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Krahn AD, Manfreda J, Tate RB, Mathewson FAL, Cuddy TE. Evidence that height is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (the Manitoba follow-up study). Am J Cardiol 1994; 74: 398–399.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Paffenbarger JR, Wolf P, Notkin J, Thorne M. Chronic disease in former college students: I early precursors of fatal coronary heart disease. Am J Epidemiol 1966; 83: 314–328.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Paffenbarger RS, Hyde RT, Wing AL, Hsieh C.-C. Physical activity, all-cause mortality and longevity of college alumni. New England J Med 1986; 314: 605–613.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Morris JN, Kagan A, Pattison D, Gardner M, Raffle P. Incidence and prediction of ischaemic heart disease in London busmen. Lancet 1966; 2: 553–559.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Parker DR, Lapane KL, Lasater TM, Carleton RA. Short stature and cardiovascular disease among men and women from two southeastern New England communities. Int J Epidemiol 1998; 27: 970–975.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Wamala SP, Mittleman MA, Horsten M, Schenck-Gustavsson K, Orth-Gomér K. Short stature and prognosis of coronary heart disease in women. J Internal Med 1999; 245: 557–563.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Rich-Edwards JW, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, et al. Height and the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. Am J Epidemiol 1995; 142: 909–917.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Han TS, Hooper JP, Morrison CE, Lean MEJ. Skeletal proportions and metabolic disorders in adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 1997; 51: 804–809.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Forsén T, Eriksson J, Qiao Q, Tervahauta M, Nissinen A, Tuomilehto J. Short stature and coronary heart disease: a 35-year follow-up of the Finnish cohorts of The Seven Countries Study. J Internal Med 2000; 248: 326–332.

    Google Scholar 

  14. The Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial results, I. The relationship of reduction in incidence of coronary heart disease to cholesterol lowering. JAMA 1984; 251: 365–374.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Levy RI. Report on the lipid research clinic trials. Eur Heart J 1987; 8(Suppl E): 45–53.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kuulasmaa K, Tunstall-Pedoe H, Dobson A, et al. Estimation of changes in classic risk factors to trends in coronary-event rates across the WHO MONICA project populations. Lancet 2000; 355: 675–687.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Råstam L, Hannan PJ, Luepker R, Mittelmark MB, Murray DM, Slater JS. Seasonal variation in plasma cholesterol distributions: implications for screening and referral. Am J Prev Med 1992; 8: 360–366.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hubert H, Eaker ED, Garrison RJ, Castelli WP. Lifestyle correlates of risk factor change in young adults: an eight-year study of coronary heart disease risk factors in the Framingham offspring. Am J Epidemiol 1987; 125: 812–831.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ledoux M, Lambert J, Reeder BA, Després J.-P. A comparative analysis of weight to height and waist to hip circumference indices as indicators of the presence of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Can Med J Assoc 1997; 157(Suppl 1): S32–S38.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sorkin JD, Muller DC, Andres R. Longitudinal change in height of men and women: implications for interpretation of the body mass index. Am J Epidemiol 1999; 150: 969–977.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Barker DJ, Osmond C, Winters PD, Margetts B, Simmonds SJ. Weight in infancy and death from ischeamic heart disease. Lancet 1989; 2: 577–580.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Peck NM, Lundberg O. Short stature as an effect of economic and social conditions in childhood. Soc Sci Med 1995; 41: 733–738.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Kuh D, Wadsworth M. Parental height: childhood environment and subsequent adult height in a national birth cohort. Int J Epidemiol 1989; 18: 663.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Fall CHD, Barker DJP, Osmond C, Winter PD, Clark PMS, Hales CN. Relation of infant feeding to adult serum cholesterol concentration and death from ischaemic heart disease. Br Med J 1992; 304: 801–805.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Barker DJP. Fetal origins of coronary heart disease. Br Med J 1995; 311: 171–174.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Blackett PR, Weech PK, McConathy WJ, Fesmire JD. Growth hormone in the regulation of hyperlipedmia. Metabolism 1982; 31: 117–120.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Albertsson-Wikland K, Rosberg S. Analyses of 24-hour growth hormone pro.les in children: relation to growth. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1988; 67: 493–500.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Brunner L, Nick H-P, Cumin F, et al. Leptin is a physiologically important regulator of food intake. Int J Obesity 1997; 21: 1152–1160.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Tarquini B, Tarquini R, Perfetto F, Cornélissen G, Halberg F. Genetic and environmental in.uences on human cord blood leptin concentration. Pediatrics 1999; 103: 998–1006.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Leibel RL, Chung WK, Chua SC. The molecular genetics of rodent single gene obesities. J Biol Chem 1997; 272: 31,937–31,940.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Montague CT, Farooqi IS, Whitehead JP. Congenital leptin deficiency is associated with severe early-onset obesity in humans. Nature 1997; 387: 903–908.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Ong KK, Ahmed ML, Sherriff A, et al. Cord blood leptin is associated with size at birth and predicts infancy weight gain in humans. ALSPAC Study Team. Avon Longitudinal Study of pregnancy and childhood. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999; 84(3): 1145–1148.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Holub M, Zwiauer K, Winkler C, et al. Relation of plasma leptin to lipoproteins in overweight children undergoing weight reduction. Int J Obesity 1999; 23: 60–66.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Frost PH, Havel RJ. Rationale for use of non-highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol rather than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as a tool for lipoprotein cholesterol screening and assessment of risk and therapy. Am J Cardiol 1998; 81(4A): 26B–31B.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Weinehall L, Westman G, Hellsten G, et al. Shifting the distribution of risk: results of a community intervention in a Swedish programme for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. J Epidemiol Community Health 1999; 53: 243–250.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Rosengren A, Wedel H, Wilhelmsen L. Body weight and weight gain during adult life in men in relation to coronary heart disease and mortality. Eur Heart J 1999; 20: 269–277.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

    Karin M. Henriksson, U. Lindblad & L. Råstam

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Helsingborg County Hospital, Helsingborg, Sweden

    B. Ågren

  3. Department of Clinical Chemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    P. Nilsson-Ehle

Authors
  1. Karin M. Henriksson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. U. Lindblad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. Ågren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P. Nilsson-Ehle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. L. Råstam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Henriksson, K.M., Lindblad, U., Ågren, B. et al. Associations between body height, body composition and cholesterol levels in middle-aged men. The coronary risk factor study in southern Sweden (CRISS). Eur J Epidemiol 17, 521–526 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014508422504

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014508422504

Search

Navigation