Height: Genetics or diet?

Question

Someone told me that height deals with 2/3 diet and 1/3 genetics. That seems to me is bogus.

When I was 13, I got my braces out, and somehow my orthodontist measured a bone in my hand, and said I'd grow to be 5'1". That really freaked me out.

I am 20, and I have stopped growing, at exactly 5'5". The thing is my mother is 5'5" and my dad is 5'6". (I am 3/4 Asian, meaning shorter than Caucasians in general, although 5'5" is average for the American woman.)

I don't get how the orthodontist thought I'd be 5'1", even though my parents were both taller. My mom's brother is 6'1" and all my cousins are taller than 5'6" on my mother's side.

Also, I don't drink milk. I am not a vegetarian but I also don't eat cow or pork.

Anyway, genetics or diet? And what's up with the orthodontist's estimate?

Answer 1

i know that in certain countries the general height of people are almost 1.70m-2.0m. they have a lot of protein in their diet and i'm sure they have a high calcium intake. maybe that is why you feel that you're not that tall. meat is a high source of protein and milk has lots of calcium. since you exclude those from your diet, your chances of growing may have reduced. as for your orthodondist's estimate, i imagine he was joking or maybe your bone density wasn't very high.

Answer 2

Although diet is important, most foods as long as you eat from the food groups offer you ample amounts of protein. If you have a poor diet take a vitamin supplement. Your heighth is genetic however you've got no control. It doesn't always mean your going to be short because your parents are short because my dad is 5' 10" and i'm 6' 3" but its like a potion between your mom and dad and if its got the correct ingredients then you have a chance of being a few inches taller than your tallest parent. Stretching may help, drink plenty of water, and remember you'll stop growing around 19-20 for males and 17-19 females.

Answer 3

Its genetics in the first place. Diet comes second and its only relevant during your growing years(the last growing year for most people is 27 years of age according to research). If you do not eat well during tehse years then definitely you will not grow to your full height.
Th e Orthordontist's estimate was not based on any scientific calculator I would think. There is actually a formula for calculating the expected height of a person. The variables are your parents' heights. I cant remember it but just google it its somewhere out there.

Answer 4

Okay there's a few things we can discuss in this topic.

1. You should of slapped that doctor....
2. It's all genetics my friend. People say that smoking can stunt growth... bull because my cousin is 6'2.
3. Some say "drink more milk".. actually Milk is the reason why Americans lead the way with Osteoporosis because it's a luxury for us... other countries don't have that problem because they don't drink as much as we do.
4. Diet... Diet is more for your weight portion and not height. It's important to maintain weight though so it doesn't stress the bones. Too much weight can make you ache in the long run.
5. Look into getting growth pills... if you look into other Yahoo!Answer forums you can find more information on them.

That's all I got.. Hope it help!

Answer 5

I don't think that you're height has anything to do with your diet. My grandmother did some strange calculation with my birth length and came out to about 2 inches more than what I grew up to be. The orthodontist was looking at your growth plate and he misjudged how much it had to grow before it filled in. He's not a bone doctor, he's a tooth doctor, he doesn't know exactly how tall from looking at it, but they can usually guess a little better than that.

Answer 6

well this is usually how height works. Even though your parents are kind of short they still have genes that are tall. It is more likely for tall parents to have tall children and vice versa but that is not always the case. Haveing proper nutrition is also important. Beleive or jot the average height of people from a 3rd world country is below like 5 foot. It is mainly because of them not being able to eat proper food therefore stunting their growth. Weight is not a huge factor for height. So ya you are kind of lucky. Stay health and drink lots of milk ;-)

Answer 7

I think it's some of each - but I'd ascribe more to diet than to genetics. The Dutch, statistically speaking, are the tallest people in the world (this is the first year they've topped the U.S.), and since they can't control genetics, I'm presuming it's due to diet. High protein and high calcium diets are important during early stages of growth for maximum bone length before the bone ends "harden" at maturity, so protein sources such as meat, and calcium sources such as milk products would seem to be important dietary components for those who want to reach their full genetic potential.

As to your orthodontist's estimate - sounds like he should stick to teeth instead of bones!

Answer 8

This will only be a reiteration of what you've already been told.
Unless you are suffering from a major nutritional defecit, bone structure is genetics.

Answer 9

It is completely genetics. Your orthodontist is an orthodontist not a general physician, and should not be giving bogus information.

Answer 10

I vote for genetics.
Unless you are seriously deficient in crucial nutrition, it's nature over nurture!