[The taller the longer? - Body height and life expectancy]

The importance of height for mortality and life expectancy is a matter of controversy. The data on this in different countries vary depending on ethnicity, socio-economic and other factors such as age at the time of the study. Current German data show a positive correlation in younger cohorts in men with hypertension. Vascular factors such as the length of the aorta and its elasticity or stiffness seem to play an important role. A recent Dutch study shows a negative correlation between height and life expectancy in older women. Gender-specific differences in hemodynamics depending on body size or aortic length play a decisive role alongside age at the time of the examination.