New research is claiming that individuals with 'genes for short stature' are more prone to coronary heart disease than are taller folk (http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/08/shorter-people-at-greater-risk-of-heart-disease-new-research-finds). Being around 2 metres tall, this comes as apparent relief. The workers claimed that the finding was not linked to poor early nutrition (restricting growth) but that people with these genes tended to have familial hypercholesterolaemia (a genetic condition where the subject tends to manufacture too much cholesterol in their bodies). One should note, however, that human height is polygenic (the product of many genes) and that, in 2001, people showed that subjects with relatively short legs had a higher risk of heart disease than subjects of the same overall height but with longer legs. The present authors still, however, note that the best ways of avoiding heart disease are a) not to smoke; b) watch the diet; c) control your weight and d) to take regular exercise. Whether shorter folk should be more likely to be prescribed statins (to reduce cholesterol values) might become an issue.
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