"Shorter people are more likely than taller folks to have clogged heart arteries, and a new study says part of the reason lies in the genes."

"Doctors have known since the 1950s about the link between short stature and coronary artery disease, "but the reason behind this really hasn't been completely clear," says Nilesh Samani, a cardiologist at the University of Leicester in the U.K."

"One thought was that smaller people have smaller arteries, which are easier to clog. Another possibility is that short stature can be a result of poor nutrition and health while growing up, and that could also be linked to health problems later in life."