CNN – In the Los Angeles restaurant where Nathaly Paola Castro Torres works, customers never fail to comment on her short stature.
“People stare at me too much and make comments or jokes,” Torres, 42, said. “Many times they also (take) photos of me and I don’t like it. I feel very bad.”
At 4 feet, 2 inches tall, Torres is a “little person” who isn’t used to such reactions.
While she was growing up in Quito, Ecuador, people seldom mentioned her height. She worked at a car dealership, felt embraced by her community, and considered her size an advantage.
“Since I was a teenager, I saw my height as (an opportunity) to develop — the growth problem is part of my personality,” Torres told CNN in Spanish.
“Brain scans have shown they have more youthful brains — the equivalent of someone 20 years younger. I have yet to see a case of Alzheimer’s in this population.”
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“I am also quite lucky because in reality my body protects me a lot from diseases that other people have every day,” she added. “This height, at the same time as being a limitation, is also a blessing.”
Torres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation.
It stunts her growth but also provides a hidden silver lining: Her body is protected from chronic diseases such as cancer that often take life away long before old age.
“We have shown in studies people with Laron have a very low incidence of cancer, diabetes and cognitive decline,” said Valter Longo, professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “It doesn’t mean that they are immune to these diseases, but people with Laron syndrome certainly seem to be very protected.”
What is Laron syndrome?
The first cases of little people who seemed to shrug off disease were identified in Israel in 1958 among children of Jewish immigrants from Yemen and other parts of the Middle East.
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Today, there may be between 350 and 500 people with Laron syndrome …