How Height is Connected to your Health?

Height has been a marker of health and vigor since ancient times therefore tall men were recruited as soldiers more than the short heighted men. This is a common perception that bigger is better and we also accept the perception even if we don’t want to admit it. It is generally seen that tall people are more successful be it business or attracting a woman. Just think would you like to fight a man taller than you who can rain punches on you.
 

Short height and poor health
Although, genetics is a big reason of short height but there are other factors which can arrest your growth. Height is not a cause of poor health but it acts as an indicator of such health condition. A stunted growth indicates instances of malnutrition such as iron deficiency which can cause skull abnormalities, sickness. Dental pathologies such as caries, plaque and decay are most likely occur in short heighted people.

Height loss
You must be thinking that if you gained inches to your height then you would never lose it. Researchers have found that about four out of five people tend to lose height as they get older especially at onset of 40s. The loss is not very noticeable means about a fifth to a half inch loss per decade.

How we lose height?
There are several factors which can make you lose height which are
Drying and flattening of disc between the spine’s vertebrae
The bone thinning disease i.e. osteoporosis which can cause small compression fractures of the vertebrae and they are not noticeable because these fractures don’t cause any pain or other symptoms
Weakening of muscles reduces the firmness of your stature which makes you short
Spinal deformities also cut off inches from your height and it happens due to occurrence of unnatural curvature as happens in case of scoliosis (side-to-side curvature) or kyphosis and Scheuermann's disease (front-to-back curvature). It also occurs due to defect (e.g. spondylolisthesis) or damage to the spine caused by multiple fractures or ankylosing spondylitis.

Height and lifestyle choices
Our peak height has been influenced and controlled by our genetic configuration at great extent but our lifestyle choices can maintain or lose this height. We have already mentioned that height loss can be caused by defects, damages and disorder of spine or by arthritis, joint inflammation or osteoporosis but the ill habits like unhealthy eating, smoking, drinking, less physical activity and lack of exercises also aggravate the height loss. Alcohol can reduce the calcium level and also facilitates the decline of bone density. Lack of physical activity reduces flexibility and makes your body stiff which also compresses your stature and makes you short. Evidences shows that it is not just the early life events like proper nutrition decides our growth but our health decisions and lifestyle choices also decides how will we age in later life.

What you should do?
This is true that you can’t restore lost height but you can delay or slow down the height loss process by taking healthy diet and doing exercise regularly (especially stretching exercises which benefits your spine). Avoid drinking and smoking as much as possible to prevent any loss of bone density. Your diet must contain nutrients such as proteins, minerals and vitamins which are required for new tissue growth, tissue repairing, development and maintenance of bone.

How to increase height?
Height gaining is much easier in childhood and teenage because the body actively produces growth hormone but with growing age, the production of growth hormone reduces considerably. Therefore, you should actively participate in outdoor games to increase your activity level, eat healthy diet and take rest (about 8 " 10 hours of sleep). You should meditate to reduce the mental stress as it can elevate the level of stress hormone in the body which will interfere in the growth process.

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