Story highlights Men with genes that predispose them to be short and women with genes that tend to give them bigger BMIs earned less money

Study specifically looks at people in the UK

(CNN) Men who have more genetic variants that would make them short, and women who have more genetic variants that would lead them to have a higher body mass index, tend to earn less money, according to a study published in BMJ.

This phenomenon has been documented in the past, but earlier studies used mostly observational data. What's different about this study is that it looks at a person's genetic predisposition for height and weight.

That means there are no broader environmental factors at play here. Poorer people, on average, tend to have poorer childhood nutrition , which can stunt growth and may lead to obesity. But there may be more to it.

The authors came to this conclusion looking at the genetic data of 119,669 women and men of white British ancestry, between the ages of 37 and 73, who are a part of the UK Biobank , a large group of people who have volunteered to be studied for the sake of science.

Looking at the genetic variants that suggest the person would be tall or short, regardless of nutrition or environment, the men with the genes that will likely lead them to be tall, have about £2,940 (about $4,175) higher annual household income. The correlation was about 50% stronger in men. Short women are in luck. There was no real household income difference between short and tall women.

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