How To Grow Taller?
HealthHow to grow taller is the question that is asked by people who are not that taller as they want. To grow taller, proper diet, exercise, vitamins, calcium, and protein must be part of routine life. Genetics also matters in determining the height of a person.
Proteins present in meat, fish, cereals, calcium present in dairy products, and vitamins present in other dietary products must be a part of the diet. However, one may be knowing that genes that are inherited from parents are the main determinants of the height of children.
What affects the height of a person?
Major determinants of height
How taller can a person be is the point that is determined by several factors. Some of them have been mentioned here:
- Gender of a person
- Genetics inherited from parents
- The daily diet of a person
- Daily life routine of a person
- Sleep pattern and sleep time of a person
- Certain medical conditions
1. Gender of a person
2. Genetics – determinant of height
3. Diet of a person
4. The routine of a person
5. Sleep pattern – a determinant of height
Age of a person | Required sleep hours |
---|---|
Newborn up to 3 months | 15 to 17 hours |
3 to 11 months | 12 to 17 hours |
1 to 2 years | 11 to 14 hours |
3 to 5 years | 10 to 13 years |
6 to 13 years | 9 to 11 hours |
14 to 17 years | 8 to 10 hours |
18 t 65 years | 7 to 9 hours |
More than 65 years | 7 to 8 hours |
6. Medical conditions
1. Gigantism:
Pituitary glands are the smaller glands present in the brain that is controlling the growth rate of a person. When pituitary glands start secreting excessive somatotropin hormone, it results in a medical condition known as gigantism.
People with gigantism are extra taller and sometimes it affects their girth also. To control it at an early age, it’s important to make an early diagnosis.
2. Dwarfism:
It’s also a medical condition that may result due to some genetic problems. If an adult has a height of 147 cm he can be considered a dwarf. Growth hormone deficiency can be the leading cause of dwarfism.
3. Arthritis
Growth retardation can result from juvenile arthritis. It’s the condition in which chronic inflammation occurs in various body tissues that affect ligaments, muscles, joints, and other body organs.
Due to the chronic nature of this disorder, when inflammation occurs for longer times it results in the stiffening, and deformation of joints resulting in retarded growth of a person.
4. Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism means the lesser than the required levels of thyroid hormone in the body. When such a condition occurs, it affects the growth of a person causing retardation of height.
However, this condition can be treated, and when thyroid hormone achieves the required level in the body, the growth of the affected individual returns to normal.
5. Turner syndrome
This a kind of medical disorder in which one of the sex hormones is partially or completely lost. This results in the failure of growth, cardiac problems, and mainly gonadal insufficiency.
If Turner syndrome – mainly present in women - is treated at an early age by giving the growth hormone, it can have major benefits in maintaining the growth pattern.
6. Down syndrome
Down syndrome is a condition that is associated with chromosomes. When an individual has an extra copy of chromosome number 21 in the cells of the body, it results in an abnormality of characteristics.
Down syndrome not only reflects itself in the form of cognitive problems but also the retarded growth is associated with it falling the individuals behind their peers.
7. Marfan syndrome
This is yet another disease that is caused by the problem in a gene that is called fibrillin-1. As fibrillin-1 is characterized to play a prime role in the body as the building blocks of connective tissues, this genetic problem can result in extra-long legs.
Individuals who are affected by Marfan syndrome are having longer heights and longer arms and legs that are different from than normal growth of a person.
8. Celiac disease
Celiac disease is a disorder of the intestine. For those kids who are suffering from celiac disease, when taking food with gluten, damages villi.
Villi are the smaller intestinal projections that are responsible for the absorption of food in the small intestine. Thus, when villi are damaged, the body is unable to absorb the nutrients that are required for the normal growth of a person.
This kind of condition can resemble malnutrition in which the body is not getting the required nutrients for a normal growth pattern. So, celiac disease if not treated can result in retarded growth of an individual.
9. Conditions requiring continuous steroidal treatment
Inflammation is one of the conditions that require steroidal treatment. Inflammation of joints or arthritis can be regarded as a major disorder that demands steroidal therapy.
At an early age, if a person is taking steroids, it can result in retarded growth because of irregularity in the maturity of bones. Inhaled steroids in younger children are observed to cause visible growth retardation.
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How to get taller as a teenager?
- Proper diet
- Regular exercise
- Avoidance of steroids
- Proper and regular sleep
- Absence or treatment of several medical conditions
1. Proper diet – for growing taller
Although it’s genetics that plays a major role in the determination of the height of a person, yet several other factors can have a direct effect on the growth and height of a person.
What kind of diet is required for a better growth pattern and to grow taller?
Although you can be as taller as your body is being instructed by genes, yet if you are taking a proper diet, it can stimulate growth and height. The following kind of diet can be beneficial in this regard:
1. Protein-rich food
Proteins are the major component of body muscles. The more you are taking the protein-rich food, the better will be your muscular mass. Here are some foods enlisted that are rich in protein:
Eggs: Never forget to take an egg daily in the breakfast if you care about getting taller. The egg is the best source of protein and it helps to increase the muscle mass that is required for better health and structure of the body.
Milk: Milk protein is also a great source to stimulate growth especially when you are a teenager.
Yogurt: Yogurt is another dairy source of protein and taking 180 ml of yogurt daily as a part of breakfast will serve in the best way to make up the required need for protein in the body.
Cheese: Cheese is also a dairy product and offers a great content of protein. Using cheese as a part of daily diet helps to get healthier and to grow taller but just making cheese isn’t enough.
Meat: Meat of lamb, beef, and kangaroo, etc. is the richest source of protein. Always prefer to make meat a part of your daily diet.
Kinds of seafood: When there is a discussion about protein-rich foods, how can someone forget fish and other kinds of seafood as a great protein source. Others include crabs, prawns, and oysters, etc. that are rich in protein.
2. Calcium intake
Calcium is the major component that is responsible for bone growth and strength. When someone is not taking a diet that is rich in calcium, it may result in stunted growth.
When bones don’t grow, they don’t get the actual length that they are capable of in presence of required nutrition.
Thus, for proper growth and mineral density of bones, you must be taking foods that are rich in calcium. Dairy products are the preferred diet for the intake of daily calcium dose.
3. Carbs intake
Carbs play a major role in the building of muscles because of their protein-sparing activity. Protein sparing means when you intake carbs, your body uses the energy by breaking down the glycogen and not the muscle protein.
When a carbs-rich diet is taken after the exercise, it helps to stop the consumption of muscle proteins thus helps to build the muscles that aid in growth and help to grow taller.
Carbs-rich diet includes oats, bananas, beetroots, oranges, and blueberries, etc. thus, these foods must be a part of the daily routine of a person if he is concerned about how to grow taller.
4. Role of zinc intake in growth
Zinc is the element that is important in maintaining growth and helps to grow taller in various ways. Zinc has a direct regulatory effect on the synthesis of DNA and influences the regulation of hormones during cell division.
The pituitary hormone that is a major hormone affecting and stimulating growth and helps to grow taller, is influenced by the zinc present in the body.
There are several foods that are rich in zinc and one or two of them must be included in the daily diet for healthy growth and to grow taller.
Zinc-rich foods include:
- Red Meat
- Poultry
- Shellfish
- Dairy products – Milk, yogurt
- Eggs
- Legumes
- Whole grains
- Nuts
Role of exercise in growing taller
Physical effects of exercise:
No matter if you are a child or an adult, a sedentary lifestyle has major effects on a person’s health. Some major health benefits of exercise are given as:
It strengthens the heart as the heart is a muscular ■■■■■ and exercise has a direct impact on the strength of muscles. Pumping of the heart gets better and helps to get rid of heart problems.
Exercise has a second major impact on the activity of the lungs. Not only the heart but it also helps the lungs to do better. Lung efficiency gets better when oxygen intake is increased while doing the exercise.
The third important effect that exercise has on human health is strengthening the bones. Regular and bone-oriented exercises help to grow the bones, make the bone density greater, and also help to prevent osteoporosis.
Help to lose weight: exercise is helpful in the way that it helps someone to maintain the weight. Extra calories that someone is taking and not utilizing due to a sedentary lifestyle are converted to fats.
3. Regular sleep
4. Say no to steroids
5. Medical conditions
Frequently asked questions
Several questions are having unresolved queries about how to grow taller and certain other health aspects. Some of them have been answered in this section:
1. Are there ways to get taller?
Although height is determined by the genetic makeup that an individual receives from his parents yet some factors impact the growth and height of a person.
If you are taking proteins, carbs, starch, carbohydrates, zinc, and calcium in your regular diet and doing proper exercise, playing outdoor games, it impacts your height and growth while helping you to grow taller. But one thing must be clear that no one can exceed the height that is determined by the genes.
2. At what age does a girl stops growing in height?
Girls often stop growing when they reach puberty. Average girls reach puberty at an age of 13 to 14 years. Thus, at that age, they are having the fastest growth rates, and hence most of the girls are taller at this age as compared to their male siblings or peers.
3. What stops growth in height?
Puberty and some medical conditions stop growth in height. When an individual reaches puberty, the growth plates stop making the new bones, and hence the growth in height is stopped.
Although genes are a major determinant of height yet when a person reaches the age of 17-18, growth in height is stopped.
4. Does eating less make you shorter?
No! not really. Eating less only makes you shorter if you are avoiding food to the extent that can lead to malnutrition. When the body doesn’t get enough nutrients that are required for healthy growth, it stops making the muscles and bones as compared to the condition if the body is receiving a proper diet.
5. Does jumping make you taller?
Jumping alone is not enough for you to grow taller. A lot of factors are involved in the determination of height and exercise is one of them.
Proper diet, the genetic makeup of a person, amount of sleep, exercise habits are all the factors that control the growth and height of a person.
Conclusion
Regular exercise helps to absorb the nutrients in the body, make the heart healthier and improve the pumping. Other positive effects of exercise on health involve the better performance of lungs and utilizing the extra calories. Extra calories that are taken during a sedentary lifestyle are stored in form of fat and increase the weight of a person.
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