title: Height, its components, and cardiovascular risk among older Chinese: a cross-sectional analysis of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Better childhood conditions, inferred from height and specifically leg length, are usually protective against ischemic heart disease and its risk factors in Western countries. In other geoethnic populations, height is less clearly protective, casting doubt on there being a biological etiology. To clarify the role of childhood conditions, we examined the associations of height and its components with cardiovascular risk among older Chinese people.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used multivariable regression to examine the associations of height and its components with blood pressure, lipid profile, and diabetes in 10413 older Chinese adults (mean age=64.6 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After we adjusted for age, gender, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle habits, greater sitting height was associated with diabetes and dyslipidemia. Longer legs were associated with lower pulse pressure and lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide indirect anthropometric evidence for the role of pre-pubertal and pubertal exposures on cardiovascular risk. Pubertal exposures are stronger than are prepubertal exposures but may be influenced by osteoporotic decline in old age. Further research should establish whether the observed relations are ethnically specific or relate to the stage or trajectory of socioeconomic development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: C Mary
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Schooling
authors.forename: Chaoqiang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Tai Hing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: G Neil
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heys
authors.lastname: Bmbs
authors.forename: Xiangqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lao
authors.forename: Weisen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Peymane
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Adab
authors.forename: Kar Keung
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Gabriel M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001827:Body Height; D002681:China; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000209:etiology*; D009790:Occupations; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011627:Puberty; D012307:Risk Factors; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol