Nutrition
It is easy to recognize that nutrition plays a vital role in affecting our growth. Diets rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals guarantee the necessary fuel for the body to grow and develop. Meanwhile, poor nutrition or malnutrition during childhood might stunt growth, leading to a lower final height in adulthood.
Protein and calcium are two important ingredients to support bone growth and health. It is easy to consume foods rich in two nutrients, including meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, spinach, collard greens, yogurt, milk, cheese, kale, soybeans, oranges, broccoli, etc.
Also, do not forget to add vitamin D because it is necessary for enhanced calcium absorption. Common sources of this ingredient you can easily find include fortified milk, salmon, tuna, egg yolks, and especially in sunlight.
For pregnant women, having good nutrition is super necessary for the bone growth and health of the fetus. The WHO suggests dairy products, beans, nuts, fish, meat, fruits, and green vegetables are must-haves during pregnancy.
One critical factor that is closely related to nutrition is socioeconomic status. WHY? Kids from financially well-off backgrounds are more likely to have access to nutritious and balanced diets and proper healthcare. These benefits help increase height since they prevent and treat diseases that can affect growth.
Exercise
There are contrary reports about the outcome of physical exercises on skeletal maturation and height growth.
In fact, staying active can support height, particularly during childhood and adolescence when children’s growth plates are still open. Physical activities boost growth hormone production, stimulating bone growth. Besides, certain exercises such as basketball or swimming help stretch the body to promote growth. However, remember not to engage in excessive and intense training because this might damage the growth plates, resulting in the contrary effect.
Children in school should get at least 60 minutes of exercise daily. During this time, it is best to concentrate on:
- Aerobic activities like jumping rope, biking, or playing tag
- Flexibility exercises like yoga or stretching
- Strength-building exercises like situps or pushups
Adults also get benefits from doing exercises regularly, including maintaining overall health and preventing the risk of osteoporosis (one of the big reasons to make you “shrink”).
Sleep
Just like engaging in physical activities, getting enough sleep is an ideal way to help the body release the necessary growth hormones. In contrast, lack of quality sleep, especially during the vital growth phases, can contribute to a less-than-optimal height. Also, studies pointed out that shorter sleep duration results in a higher risk of obesity and overweight.
Below is the recommended sleep time for different age groups you should follow.
- Newborns to 3 months old: 14 to 17 hours
- 4 to 12 months old: 12 to 16 hours
- Ages 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours
- Ages 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
- Ages 6 to 13 years: 9 to 12 hours
- Ages 14 to 17 years: 8 to 10 hours
- Ages 18 to 64 years: 7 to 9 hours
65+ years: 7 to 8 hours
Illness and diseases
As mentioned above, hormones play a critical role in regulating body growth. These consist of human growth hormones, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen).
Any abnormalities in these hormones might change growth and the overall height. For instance, if children develop pituitary gland disorders or hypothyroidism, they might experience shorter-than-average height. Or, gigantism is caused by too many growth hormones produced by pituitary gland tumors, making children taller than normal.
Some congenital disorders present at birth might affect a person’s height. For example, Turner syndrome is a rare condition that causes delays in puberty. However, it does not run in families like achondroplasia (a rare bone growth disorder).
Other environmental factors
As mentioned above, having a higher socioeconomic status results in an advantage in height growth. That means children can access better nutrition, better child care, and better social and medical services. It is easy to recognize that people in Europe, North America, and Australia have become taller and more mature due to their strong socioeconomic development.
Urbanization is also related to a taller stature because people have better access to food, sanitation services, adequate health, education, welfare, and recreation.
Is there anything else?
Stress is a main factor that might hinder the production of growth hormones and contribute to stunted growth. These hormones are released in our brain that help manage muscle and bone growth, body fluids, body composition, and fat and sugar metabolism. Hence, it is necessary to remove or deal with the stress level to normalize growth hormone production and catch up on growth.
The role of the environment in different stages of life
Childhood
During this stage of life, all the environmental factors play a vital role in children’s growth and development. Kids at this period need a diet rich in essential nutrients to develop their strong bones and muscles. Engaging in physical activities also helps stimulate growth hormone production to strengthen skeletal structure and muscle development. Finally, quality sleep is essential for kids to grow and develop. Make sure they get enough sleep for their different age.
Adolescence
This period is marked by puberty when the body experiences rapid and profound changes, mainly driven by hormones. A supportive environment including balanced nutrition and regular exercise can increase these growth spurts, resulting in significant increases in height.
Besides, stress from academic pressure or social challenges and lifestyle choices affect the hormonal balance necessary for growth.
Adulthood
Although height growth typically stops at this period, other factors such as posture and bone health affect a person’s stature. For instance, if you spend long hours sitting at desks or using electronic devices, you need to pay attention to your posture and carry out some stretches to support your back and core.
Does your environment affect how tall you grow?
A person’s height is mainly defined by the genes inherited by their parents. However, the environmental factors mentioned above might affect growth.
As kids get older, they need proper nutrition and exercise to help their bodies produce the necessary hormones. Meanwhile, teenagers will have a growth spurt during puberty. Then their bones will stop growing, and they cannot get any taller.
Once again, remember that these factors affect height, yet are not guarantees for becoming taller because each person has a different growth pattern.
So, what do you think? Share with us your thoughts!
