If parents are short, will their children also be short? Here are the answers to your questions about height!

As a topic of concern to everyone, height is the subject of many online jokes, such as:

"If a boy is 180cm tall, he will never forget his height no matter what he forgets."

In reality, many people are deeply trapped in "height anxiety" and try many methods such as calcium supplements, medication, and even bone-breaking surgery, just to grow a little taller.

So, what factors determine height?

How much say do innate genetics, acquired nutrition and exercise have?

My height is not ideal. Can I become taller by injecting growth hormone?

What are some real ways to grow taller?

…

Let’s talk about height today!

Innate factors that determine height: 70% determined by nature

In fact, height is also a trait of the human body, which is mainly determined by genes. It can be said that heredity is the first factor affecting height (don’t cry, there is still a way, see below!).

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For example, there are differences in average height in different regions. Studies have shown that the average height of 19-year-olds in different countries varies significantly, and the difference between the highest and lowest average heights of boys can be 20 cm[3].

For example, a statistical analysis of the average height of some ethnic groups in China also revealed a similar situation.

Height differences among some ethnic groups, Image source: Reference 1

There are indeed differences in height among different populations[1]. These data show that genetic factors have an important influence on height.

So, among the factors that affect height, what proportion does genetics account for?

At this time, twins should be selected for research, because twins from the same parents have basically the same genetic factors, so the changes in twins can best reflect the proportion of genetic influence.

Research has found that genetic factors account for approximately 60%-70% of the decision-making power in height determination[2], and other related studies have also confirmed this result.

Therefore, how tall a person can grow is 60%-70% determined by genetics, while other factors influence 30%-40%.

However, which gene in the human body is responsible for height?

Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question. Because height is a quantitative trait that is often controlled by multiple genes, it is complicated to determine the specific location of the "height gene".

Acquired factors that affect height: three points depend on hard work

Height change is a developmental process and will be affected by many aspects of the acquired environment such as diet and living habits. If these factors cannot reach the ideal state, then the height will not reach the ideal state.

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The authoritative medical journal The Lancet has published a study on the height of adolescents around the world, covering 65 million adolescents and children in 193 countries around the world. Among the research results, one point is particularly noteworthy, that is, the change in average height.

For example, from 1985 to 2019, the average height of 19-year-old boys in China increased by 8 cm, one of the largest increases in the world[3].

Today, the average height of Chinese teenagers ranks first in East Asia. In the past 30 years, the changes in genetic factors have not been large, so the reason for the sudden increase in average height is: the improvement of external nutritional conditions.

Since the reform and opening up, my country's living standards and medical levels have been greatly improved, so many children's nutrition has been adequately supplemented, and on average, their height has increased significantly.

So, what is the upper limit of our height? For this point, it is still unclear, and we can only keep looking forward to the future increase.

Average height change of 19-year-old Chinese youth, source: Reference 3

So, what nutritional factors may contribute to height?

First of all, vitamins and minerals are beneficial to height growth. For example, the well-known vitamin D and calcium are necessary for height growth. Of course, bone growth requires more than these ingredients, many other vitamins and minerals are also necessary.

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The second is protein. As a basic nutrient for the human body, protein is not only a structural component of cells, but also a basic component of enzymes in the body. In addition, many hormones are also proteins. For example, insulin-like growth factor, which has an important influence on height, and some other growth hormones are proteins. For growing children and adolescents, sufficient protein such as milk, beans and meat are indispensable.

It is worth mentioning that exercise is also closely related to height. Moderate physical exercise can stimulate the secretion of growth hormone, improve blood supply and metabolism. Outdoor exercise can also increase the production of vitamin D in the body and facilitate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.

Is it possible to improve height through medication or surgery?

So if we want to improve our height, what should we do? In fact, as mentioned above, improving nutrition is the best way.

A balanced diet and proper supplementation of vitamins and minerals can improve height. Exercise can promote physical development in adolescents and is also an important strategy to improve height.

However, some special groups of people still cannot achieve good height conditions even with ideal nutritional supplements. Among them, the most typical is the manifestation of short stature, which includes a series of symptoms such as idiopathic short stature and childhood growth hormone deficiency.

Behind these symptoms is a component that is crucial to height: growth hormone.

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Growth hormone is a hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland of the human body. Its main function is to promote the growth of bones and the entire body, and is therefore crucial for height.

When growth hormone secretion is insufficient or there is a problem with growth hormone receptors, short stature will occur. At this time, it is necessary to inject synthetic growth hormone to improve height.

Football star Messi is an example of someone who has benefited from growth hormone. When he was a child, Messi's development was quite slow. It is said that when he was 13 years old, his height was only equivalent to that of a normal child of 8 years old. For a teenager who loves football, it is basically impossible to realize his future football dream.

Fortunately, Messi received growth hormone treatment in time and eventually grew to a height of 170cm. His own athletic talent also continued to emerge, and he gradually became a football superstar.

However, whether growth hormone injection is necessary and possible still needs to be determined by professional doctors in hospitals and evaluated based on individual bone development. Only when the growth condition is significantly lower than that of peers and meets the relevant medication guidelines can growth hormone injection be used for treatment in hospitals.

In addition, there are some clinical methods to improve the symptoms of short stature, such as bone lengthening surgery (also known as limb lengthening surgery), which refers to a surgery that improves height by regenerating osteoblasts at the broken bone site.

Whether it is growth hormone or bone height-increasing surgery, the corresponding medical procedures can only be carried out under the conditions of strict medical facilities and very strict medical judgments and indicators. Both must not be abused.

Generally speaking, height is determined by 70% fate and 30% hard work. So, apart from the influence of genes, what are some tips for increasing height?

First of all, it is very necessary for children and adolescents in the growth stage to ensure balanced nutrition, especially the intake of protein, mineral elements and vitamins.

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At the same time, ensuring moderate exercise is also an effective strategy to promote height, allowing you to reach your ideal height as much as possible within the range determined by your genes.

Finally, height is just a shape. Even if it is not ideal, do not use wrong methods to "force growth". Accepting small imperfections may help you embrace a wider world!

References:

[1] Xiang Xiaoxue, Zheng Lianbin, Song Qingyang, Yu Keli, Zhang Xinghua. Body characteristics of 14 unidentified populations in China[J]. Acta Anatomica Sinica, 2020, 51(05): 802-808.

[2] Li, Miao-Xin, et al. "A major gene model of adult height is suggested in Chinese." Journal of human genetics 49.3 (2004): 148-153.

[3] Rodriguez-Martinez, Andrea, et al. "Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants." The Lancet 396.10261 (2020): 1511-1524.

Source and author: This article is produced by Science Popularization China, produced by Li Lei, and supervised by the Computer Network Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

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