ever heard of very many tall people that live over 80?

[green papaya]

seems like you never see really tall elderly people in the ages of 80's 90's? seems most dont live as long as average sized people

if you go to a care home most people are average height or shorter

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

While true, it may not be all that relevant. The WW2 and Korean War crowd are 80 and 90 now. There were few people over six feet tall back then. My grandfather who was right at 6 feet tall lived to be 82 and smoked Rough County Chewing Tobacco in a pipe until two days before he died. You'll probably have to wait until 2030 to find out who lives longer. Thinner people do seem to live longer though.

Just my $0.02 and worth every cent

 

[Gin&Tonics]

I would agree with 1961MJS - it's not that tall people don't live as long, it's that people weren't as tall back then! People in the western world have been getting progressively taller on average since the end of the middle ages or so, due to improvements in living conditions and nutrition. If you look at a lot of Victorian furniture, for example, it seems to be scaled smaller than modern furniture simply because people were generally smaller back then.

 

[green papaya]

What is the life expectancy of world class athletes?:

Not so good. The average elite athlete will die by the age of 67. That is considerably lower then the 76 year life expectancy of the average American. Do you want to hear something that is really scary? According to the NFL Players Association, the average life expectancy of an NFL player is 58 years of age.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Tall people do have more health problems and shorter lives. I have known a couple of 6 footers who lived to 80, they were very thin and walked all the time.

There were tall people in the past just not as many. Then they all died.

What you might call "giants" meaning 7 feet + had very short lives often dying in their late 30s or 40s.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Dancers tend to be long lived. Buddy Ebsen was 6' 3" tall and lived to 95. I don't know anyone of similar height who came close to that.

 

[sheeplady]

Well... that and people also "shrink" when they get old due to osteoporosis and aging. My grandfather, who was about 5'11" or so is now down to about 5'8" or maybe even 5'7" due mostly to his back (he's 95, soon to be 96). My father and mother, in their 60s, have also started to get shorter as well- I know my dad is at least an inch or two shorter than he was 10 years ago.

 

[scottyrocks]

Years ago when I visited Manchester, England, I stopped at a church, built in sections over the years. The original section, built around 1100 AD, had a main doorway that I could barely clear and I was 5'10" at that time. My host told me that, yes, people were smaller 900 years ago.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I once lived in a house in an old Finnish neighborhood built in 1844. The kitchen ceiling was exactly five feet nine inches from the floor. I don't know about people in general, but it seems there were some pretty stubby Finnish immigrants around here in the nineteenth century.

My grandfather played semipro basketball in the mid-twenties. The tallest man on the team was five foot eleven, and his nickname was "Tower."

 

[ButteMT61]

I'll let you know in 30 years. lol

 

[Shangas]

My darling grandmother, who died last year at the age of 97, was a towering 5'0"!

 

[Fletch]

My grandfather played semipro basketball in the mid-twenties. The tallest man on the team was five foot eleven, and his nickname was "Tower."

B'ball was not a game for tall people then, it was a game for fast, little people. The college game was dominated by New York for decades, because of their scrappy street kids with sharp elbows.

As late as 1957, 5'7" Chet Forte was the leading scorer in NCAA ball. His runner-up was 7'2" Wilt Chamberlain.

 

[Undertow]

I think the average height has risen over the years. Where one generation is 5'11", the next is 6'1" and the following is 6'3", and so on. Depending on genetic mixtures, those could rise and fall as a rule.

There is little research on tall people dying before short people, but the studies more or less show increased risks in heart disease. The studies suggest that the blood must pump farther and harder, thus an eventual shutdown earlier than short folks. But like anything, one cannot brush with such broad stroke. And with the rise in preventative medicine, it seems as if tall people will be around just as long as their shorter counterparts.

 

[BigFitz]

A friend of mine (6'6") has a grandfather who is 6'5" and is 93 and still lives at home and drives.

 

[ButteMT61]

I'd rather live 80 years tall, than 100 short!

 

[Yeps]

I think the average height has risen over the years. Where one generation is 5'11", the next is 6'1" and the following is 6'3", and so on. Depending on genetic mixtures, those could rise and fall as a rule.

At least in the USA, this has not been true over the past couple generations. The average height has stopped rising since the 50s. Whether this is because of poor nutrition (introduction of processed foods) or a change in demographics due to immigration patterns is debatable.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Our kitchen ceiling in our old house was about 6'2". I could just barely walk in there without ducking. Ironically, the rest of the house had 12' ceilings lol

I once lived in a house in an old Finnish neighborhood built in 1844. The kitchen ceiling was exactly five feet nine inches from the floor. I don't know about people in general, but it seems there were some pretty stubby Finnish immigrants around here in the nineteenth century.

My grandfather played semipro basketball in the mid-twenties. The tallest man on the team was five foot eleven, and his nickname was "Tower."

Same here!

I'd rather live 80 years tall, than 100 short!

 

[frussell]

The "thin" factor, rather than tall, may have more to do with it, as suggested. Also genetics, I suppose. My grandfather died a couple of years ago at age 99, and he was right at six feet three inches. His father died prematurely at 94 because he fell off his roof fixing his TV antenna and died of complications in the hostpital, also similar height. Both were fairly fit, not overweight, ate meat, smoked/chewed tobacco, drank tequila and rode unbroke horses in their youth. My grandfather also played college ball at UCLA when they had those little leather helmets and few pads, so I guess he beat the athlete stats by a few years as well. It's nice to speculate, but who knows really why some folks live so long. Frank

 

[AtomicEraTom]

There can be statistics all they want, but I just don't buy into them all that much. I mean, of course you should try to take care of yourself. However, everyone in my family smokes, drinks, and has a beer belly (at least the men), not to mention they're tall stock (my grandpa is 6'4.) and live to be near 100. Most times, the men outlive the women, which goes against statistics, as well.

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

My Grandpop was a WWII vet and a little over six feet. He lived to his mid 80's. Mema was tall and lived into her 90's. So in my family tall people live long