I'm taking an anatomy class and I find it fascinating. This may be a very stupid question but what determines our height? I know people say genetics so do your genes how big your bones need to be?
So for shorter people, their bones will be smaller?
joey2014-10-09T16:31:47Z
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Height is multifactorial, it does run in the family in the genes however other factors also contribute: 1) How much calcium your taking in: bone growth requires calcium Ca+2 2) how much exercise you're getting: insulin and Growth hormone both influence bone growth both of which are released upon exercise 3) how much sleep you're getting: Growth hormone is released during sleep, if you don''t get enough sleep, you don't grow taller All these factors basically contribute, however genetics has the upper hand. If a person has the "shortness genes" these factors may help this person get taller yet if they lack the shortness gene the are predisposed to be tall either way.
A combination of genes and environment. There have been at least 400 genes found to be associated with height. Nutrition, both pre- and post-natally also contributes a great deal. Bone proportion is not perfectly correlated with height. For instance, an achondroplastic dwarf has much stockier bones that just a miniature version of the average human.
Genetics. Height is an example of polygenic inheritance and therefore is determined by multiple genes at multiple loci on a chromosome and also is affected by environmental stimuli (which is why some tall parents have short kids, this may be because of the environment).
Bone sizes will grow, it's the stretch between joints, so joints, only joints, dont worry about bones, they will grow, but if a short person starches their joints as an excersize they could grow, however, healthy bones are needed in this proccess