Statistics from the world-renowned medical journal "The Lancet" show that the average height of Chinese people has been increasing. In 2020, the average height of Chinese adult men will reach 175.7 cm, and that of women will be 163.5 cm.
Recently, a study by the University of Iowa in the United States found that there is a certain relationship between height, appearance and income. Statistics on the body shape-related data of 2,383 people found that for every 1 centimeter increase in the height of men with an annual income of more than 70,000 U.S. dollars, their annual income can increase by about 1,000 U.S. dollars.
In this way, a man with a height of 170 cm will have an annual income of $10,000 less than a man with a height of 180 cm. I have to admit that there are reasons why women tend to choose tall men as partners.
As far as men are concerned, shortness is not always short. For example, compared with tall men, short men are healthier and live longer. Although some previous studies have confirmed this point, a number of recent studies have strengthened this conclusion. Some studies have found that there is a certain correlation between height and cancer risk. Regardless of men and women, the higher the age, the greater the risk of cancer. Generally speaking, for every 10 cm increase in adult height, the probability of cancer will increase by 11% to 18%.
A 54-year survey of 5.5 million Swedes between the ages of 20 and 74 by a research team from Karolinska Institute in Sweden showed that height is positively related to the risk of cancer, and involves a variety of cancers, such as oral cancer. , Liver cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, thyroid cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma and leukemia (blood cancer), etc. There are also gender differences in the relationship between height and cancer. For every 10.16 cm increase in adult height, the risk of cancer in men increases by 11%, and the risk of cancer in women increases by 18%. For both men and women, every 10.16 cm increase in height increases the risk of melanoma by 30%.
In addition, Leonard Rooney, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Riverside, reached a similar conclusion. Analyzing the data of hundreds of thousands of cancer patients, it is found that every 10 cm increase in height increases the risk of cancer by 10%.
In Asia, the same correlation exists, and the correlation is even stronger. An article published in the British Journal of Cancer in March 2019 answered this question with more data. The research team of Seoul National University in South Korea conducted long-term observations on 22,809,722 people over the age of 20 through national insurance claims data, covering the period from 2009 to 2012. In addition, these people were followed up to 2015. During the follow-up period, 765651 patients were diagnosed with cancer. One of the phenomena is that the higher the height of the respondents, the greater the risk of cancer. Overall, the overall risk of cancer for tall people increased by 28%.
Research shows that height is related to oral cavity, larynx, lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, pancreas, biliary tract and gallbladder, breast, ovary, cervix and uterus, prostate, testis, kidney, bladder, central nervous system, thyroid, skin , Lymphatic and hematopoietic system cancers. For every 5 cm increase in height, the risk ratio (HR) of all parts of cancer is 1.09 (a risk ratio higher than 1 means that the risk of cancer increases, the higher the value, the greater the risk), thyroid cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, Testicular cancer and kidney cancer have the highest risk ratio. This association is more pronounced among female and male non-smokers than in other populations. Although higher adult height is significantly associated with an increased risk of most cancers, with the exception of esophageal tumors.
The results of these studies are similar, indicating that the higher the height, the higher the risk of cancer. Why height is related to cancer, so far there is no definitive explanation, only some hypotheses.
The first is the cause of cell division. In a person's life, there are countless cells that metabolize and divide, and DNA mutations can occur at any time. Some of these mutations will get out of control, leading to malignant cell proliferation and then developing cancer. Tall people have more cells than short ones, so more cells may mutate when dividing, so the probability of cancer will increase.
In addition, higher height must be the result of hormone-stimulated growth, which means that in the process of height growth, there are higher levels of multiple hormones in the body, such as growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1, which are more likely to cause cells Proliferate and mutate to induce cancer. Height is developed and stereotyped early in life, and the average person's height increase stops at the age of 20. Therefore, the interaction between related genes and the environment in early life may be related to the increased risk of cancer. Of course, there are some specific genes also involved in the relationship between height and cancer, such as c-Myc, p53 and SMAD3 genes.
Taller men have the advantage of choosing a spouse and high income, but may face disadvantages of illness and short life span. Height and longevity cannot be achieved at the same time, and the life span of tall people is shorter than that of short people has been confirmed by countless studies. For example, in Sardinia, Italy, the average height of men is about 1.60 meters. Among the long-lived residents of Sardinia, the tallest residents live two years less than their shorter neighbors. Another study of 1.3 million Spaniards found that for every centimeter increase in height, life expectancy would decrease by 0.7 years.
Of course, if you want to let the person choose on issues such as height and appearance, I'm afraid they won't have to choose, because everyone is born involuntarily. If you regard it as a choice, it is also a kind of virtual choice mentioned by Rawls in "A Theory of Justice," a choice or decision behind the "Veil of ignorance."
Rawls envisions that when people are in a "veil of ignorance", that is, without knowing their skills, tastes, and social status at the time, let people "distribute their power, status, and social resources." Make a selection. This will ensure that people will not make obvious or biased judgments when making choices or decisions, and will be able to uphold justice in distribution and social cooperation. Since "birth" cannot be chosen by oneself, it actually realizes Rawls' "veil of ignorance" to some extent. Under the "veil of ignorance" of "birth", a person who involuntarily has a higher height will have the advantage of choosing a spouse and obtaining money in the future, but there is also the risk of illness and premature death. In this "no choice" situation, everyone has to bear the consequences of the "no choice."
However, life also provides people with other options, which is to improve the status quo through personal efforts in the acquired environment, or to make up for the disadvantages with other advantages.
Everyone can't choose their appearance and height at birth, but they can change their destiny through acquired practice. When a person is taller and has a higher correlation with cancer and other diseases, a healthy lifestyle can be used to make up for the disadvantages of being prone to cancer and short life.
Although a healthy lifestyle is a cliché, it is actually not easy to achieve and do well. Develop a healthy lifestyle can not only prevent cancer, but also prevent other diseases. Healthy living habits can be summarized as: reasonable diet, moderate exercise, smoking cessation and alcohol restriction, mental balance, obesity control, and hygiene. Furthermore, life should be as regular as possible, diet should be regular and quantitative, adequate sleep, stay up late, eat more fruits and vegetables, and maintain a good mood and mood.
On the other hand, although short people have advantages in choosing a spouse and getting paid without taller people, they can also improve their disadvantages through hard work. Such as honing work skills, enhancing innovation capabilities, thereby increasing income, and gaining more favor from the opposite sex. In history, countless short men have provided their experience and role models. Such as French novelist Balzac, 1.57 meters tall; Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin, 1.57 meters tall; American actor Mickey Rone, 1.60 meters tall; British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 1.67 meters tall. In real life, there are many short people who can make up for their height disadvantages. For example, the famous gymnast Zou Kai is only 1.58 meters tall, but through continuous hard training and continuous learning and growth, he not only won many world championships, but also established a happy family with Italians, showing the successful life of a short man.
