July 27, 2005

Short People Have No Reason to Live

A study of Swedish men found that
Shorter men may be more likely than their taller peers to commit suicide -- suggesting, researchers say, that various factors related to growth and development also affect suicide risk later in life. In a study of records for nearly 1.3 million Swedish men, the investigators found that for every 2 inches a man gained in height, his suicide risk dipped by 9 percent. Overall, the shortest men in the study were about twice as likely as the tallest men to commit suicide.

A few previous studies have uncovered a similar height-suicide relationship among men, with some suggestion that income and social class explain the link; children who grow up disadvantaged may have both poorer growth and a higher suicide rates as adults.

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