Our individual is 5 cm taller than the population average. The white male population has an average height of 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) with a heritability of 80 percent. Let's analyze it on the following example: a man who is 183 cm (6 ft) tall. Heritability allows us to consider how the person's height is determined. Roberts found a comparable figure in studies in west Africa. Miao-Xin Li of Human Normal University in China estimated that in the Chinese population, heritability equals 65 percent. In Asian and African populations, the height heritability is notably lower. This is mainly due to different living environments (including nutrition, lifestyle, and climate conditions) and different genetic combinations across communities. These values may vary a lot between ethnic populations as well. ![]() As we can see, the heritability varies even for men and women. A Finnish study on almost 9000 twins arrived at results of 78 percent for men and 75 percent for women. These numbers come from estimations of the heritability of human height and from research examining what proportions of the height variation are determined by genetics.īased on various scientific studies, heritability contributes to around 80 percent of a child's height. The role of environmental factors (especially nutrition) is estimated to be around 20-40%. The answer is about 60-80% of the individual's height is determined by genetics. It is so significant that scientists suggest the proper question to consider should be "How much variation (the difference between individuals) in height is attributable to genetic effects and how much to nutritional effects?". Genetic conditions: for example, children with Marfan's syndrome tend to grow higher, while children with Down's syndrome are usually shorter than others.Īs you can see, one of the most crucial aspects is nutrition. Medications such as corticosteroids can affect growth. Health conditions, such as coeliac disease or arthritis. Hormone levels, especially growth hormone or thyroid hormones. You can check your ideal weight using our ideal weight calculator. Nutrition – growth requires a lot of energy! Overweight children tend to be taller than others, but staying fit is crucial for their development. However, environmental aspects still have a lot of impact on the child's height! Let's take a look at a few crucial points: ![]() The single most significant factor here is genetics. For sure, that is not a rule, and these trends vary from child to child and from family to family. Lots of us believe that children are usually taller than their parents. How tall will my child be? Will they be as tall as their dad or average height like their grandpa? These questions thrill almost every parent during pregnancy and while the child is continuously growing in the early years.
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