Why can a grown-up human become reversibly fatter and thinner but not taller and shorter?

Question

In other words, if we gain some weight by eating more food, why cannot we become taller? If we go on a diet, why cannot we become shorter? Yes, I know the body height is limited by the skeleton and that the extra few pounds will become fat/muslces... but is there a reason behind it?

Answer 1

Humans are programmed at birth to grow a certain height. Things can alter that, unhealthy eating, or an accident that could crush a growth plate. But once you finish puberty, your body is finished growing.

As you age your bones will lose density over time, but that won't make them shrink. It will only make them more prone to breaking.

You can wear away the cartilage and connective tissue in your joints which will compress the area between your bones. The most common area is your knees. Another common area is the spine. Long term bad posture can also curve your spine which will make you appear shorter.

This is what makes older people shrink.

The only way to grow is by medical operation. It is ultra extreme and you might have to fly to India or something to find a doctor willing to do it. It involves breaking your legs and some sort of medical procedure to induce bone growth in the broken area. It doesn't sound pleasant.

Maybe if you take illegal growth hormones during puberty, you might induce your body to grow more, but that sounds scary to me. What if only your legs were programmed to grow at that time and you ended up with short stubby arms and freakishly long legs???

Answer 2

There are not any silly questions when it's something you are rather about. In actual fact although, that traits corresponding to size of fingers are genetic - headquartered upon the genes we get from our parents. In case you most effective ought to lose about 10 kilos that probably wouldn't make much change to your fingers anyway. And there is not any option to simply reduce weight from one part of your physique. Often we need to accept some things about ourselves that we can not exchange. Why no longer focal point on the entire matters which might be good and unusual about you? I'm sure you will have many positives. I will inform with the aid of how you wrote your question that you're a wise lady, and you have loads going for you. Are attempting not to focal point on the things you see as negatives. And you know what? Most likely you're the only person who thinks there's some thing wrong together with your fingers! Take care and enjoy every day. Have fun!

Answer 3

As you mentioned, your skeleton determines you height. Before puberty, the ends of the bones have cartilage, which can grow in a fashion to lengthen the bone. After puberty, because of the effect of sex hormones, however, this cartilage becomes solid bone and can no longer lengthen.

You actually can get shorter however. This is what happens with individuals who have osteoporosis and lose bone content.

Answer 4

The skeleton, just as you said. Growth is turned on and off by genetics, not by food consumption (within limits, as malnutrition can stunt your growth). Genetics are the key to height, and what you eat isn't going to make you taller or shorter once your growth is complete.

Answer 5

Ever blow up a balloon? Some balloons are short and will blow up very round............others are long and thin, they come in all kinds of shapes. You cannot blow the long, thin balloon up to a big, round shape, because it isn't made that way.
It would be great if humans COULD decide to be shorter or taller, wouldn't it? I think our insides would have a problem with that, since they seem to fit most of us, just the way we are. I always wanted to be 2 inches taller.

Answer 6

Bones cannot grow without growth hormones and other processes dictated by those hormones. Bones determine your height.

Fat and muscle tissue change all the time with diet and excersice. They have little to do with bone development.

Bones can shrink with age, though (decalcification, osteoporosis) so you do get shorter with age.

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Answer 7

Because gaining wait is the increase of tissue mass ie fat to gain height would require your bones to grow and once you've passed your growing years that's that you'll only get shorter with age.Well old people seem to shrink though it may be their muscle mass reducing making them look shorter, who knows.
THE FELLA ABOVE ANSWERED MY QUESTION - OLD PEOPLE DO ACTUALLY SHRINK SHORTER

Answer 8

There is some set of cells that go under apoptosis (self cell destruction) in your bones after a certain age. After this happens it is physiologically impossible to grow. But there are procedures to give height, but very very very painful procedures.

Answer 9

Genetics.

Answer 10

didn't you just answer your own question.