Shorter Men Live Longer: Association of Height with Longevity and FOXO3 Genotype in American Men of Japanese Ancestry

★

☆

SHARE

Overview

Paper Summary

Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

Good to know

Topic Hierarchy

File Information

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

Shorter Japanese-American Men Live Longer (But It's Complicated)

In a 40-year study of over 8,000 American men of Japanese ancestry, shorter stature was associated with increased lifespan. This may be related to height's association with fasting insulin levels and FOXO3 genotype, a gene linked to longevity and insulin signaling. However, it remains difficult to rule out other confounders like childhood nutrition, which may impact both height and lifespan.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

The study was supported by government grants and the VA. No other conflicts were disclosed.

Identified Weaknesses

Limited generalizability

The study population is limited to men of Japanese ancestry, so it's unclear if the findings apply to other groups.

Potential confounding

Height could be a proxy for other factors, like childhood nutrition, that actually influence lifespan.

Potential confounding due to age

Height can decrease with age and mortality increases with age, which could create a spurious association.

Rating Explanation

This is a decent observational study with a large sample size and long follow-up. However, the specific population and potential confounders limit the generalizability of the findings and prevent a stronger causal claim.

Good to know

This is our free standard analysis. Paperzilla Pro fact-checks every citation, researches author backgrounds and funding sources, and uses advanced AI reasoning for more thorough insights.

Explore Pro →