Researchers studied the characteristics of thousands of American men of Japanese ancestry in two groups — those that were 5-foot-2 and shorter, and those that were 5-4 and taller. The men were followed closely for over 40 years as part of two long-term research projects, the Kuakini Honolulu Heart Program and the Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

“The folks that were 5-2 and shorter lived the longest,” said Dr. Bradley Willcox, one of the study investigators and a professor in the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Department of Geriatric Medicine. “The range was seen all the way across from being 5-foot tall to 6-foot tall. The taller you got, the shorter you lived.”