eli5: how do people shrink and where does the height go?

Question

Just found out my colombian dad used to be 5’7/8, he’s 5’4 rn

In: 1

Answer 1

Your body isn’t totally solid, the only solid bits are the bones.

And as you age, the ligaments and cushioning tissue between your bones will wear down and shrink, so each if each of the bones in your spine get a fraction of an inch closer together, that adds up across the whole spine.