title: Associations of adult height and its components with mortality: a report from cohort studies of 135,000 Chinese women and men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although several studies have evaluated the relationship between adult height and mortality, their results have not been entirely consistent. Little is known about components of adult height in relation to mortality, particularly in developing countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the association of adult height and its components (leg and trunk length) with mortality using data from 74 869 Chinese women and 61,333 men in the Shanghai Women's (1996-2008) and Men's (2002-2008) Health Studies. Anthropometric measurements, including standing and sitting height and weight, were taken at baseline by trained interviewers according to a standard protocol. Deaths were ascertained by biennial home visits and linkage with the vital statistics registry. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the associations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neither height nor its components were associated with all-cause mortality. Height and, less consistently, its components were positively associated with cancer mortality, but inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Hazard ratios (HRs) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] for cancer mortality per 1-SD increment in height, trunk and leg length were 1.06 (1.01-1.12), 1.07 (1.01-1.12) and 1.03 (0.98-1.08), respectively, in women, and 1.13 (1.05-1.22), 1.09 (1.00-1.19) and 1.10 (1.03-1.16), respectively, in men. The corresponding HRs for CVD mortality were 0.89 (0.84-0.95), 0.93 (0.87-0.99) and 0.91 (0.86-0.98) in women, and 0.93 (0.86-1.02), 0.89 (0.81-0.98) and 0.99 (0.92-1.06) in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that different mechanisms may be involved in linking height and its components with cancer and CVD mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37203-1738, USA.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xianglan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yong-Bing
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Gong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hong-Lan
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Yu-Tang
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiao-Ou
authors.initials: XO
authors.lastname: Shu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001827:Body Height; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors