Contexts: My mom is 4’11 and my dad is 5’6. I grew up to be 6’0, and so did my brother. My sister grew up to be 5’2, which seems more believable and normal.
As far as I know, my grandparents on both ends aren’t any taller than average. How is it that I came out taller than both my parents and what are the chances that my brother also comes out taller too? How does it work and how is height determined?
In: Biology
Your body growth has a lot more to do with the quality of food you had access to in your childhood than with your genetic disposition.
You can tell that by the general increase in median body height during the 20th century in many Western countries. They can’t have all have their genes modified… but they can all have access to higher quality nutrition.
There are a number of factors which effect the size and height of humans, the potential height is governed by various genes, however nutrition including levels of protein, calcium and vitamins A and D will reduce this potential whilst excess growth hormone may exceed it, however the levels of oxygen may also be a factor especially in the lower limbs. https://youtu.be/ZGXa3Oj-sGE
What is more important to your height then your genes are your diet growing up. People who have grown up with periods of malnutrition end up shorter then those with plenty of food available all the time. And also their kids end up shorter. What you describe with kids taller then their parents and parents taller then their grandparents is the common pattern we see everywhere. There were global issues with food production and distribution both in the 30s and 40s and this continued on throughout the 50s and even into the 60s.
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