Healthy height for men

The first is whether it matches the reasonable floating range of one's own genetic target height, and the second is whether the height value is consistent with the normal trajectory of the growth and development stage, and there is no pathological too high or too low.

A while ago, I accompanied a relative's child to a growth and development clinic, and I encountered a very sad thing: the child is 16 years old, 172cm tall, and both parents are about 165cm. According to the genetic target height (what we often call the approximate range of what a person can naturally grow, the formula is (Father’s height + Mother’s height + 13cm)/2, plus or minus 5cm is considered normal) Calculated, he has already exceeded the standard. As a result, his parents insisted on giving the child growth hormone injections, saying that the minimum requirement for finding a partner now is 175, and if the difference is 3cm, they will not be able to find a wife. The director of the clinic laughed at that time and said that your child's height is a real healthy height, and the bone age is almost closed. If you take growth hormone indiscriminately, the acromegaly, blood sugar will rise, and you can't find a wife. It is a trivial matter, but it will be a big loss if you develop chronic diseases.

In fact, the industry has always had different views on the relationship between height and health. Scholars who do molecular genetic research prefer "seven-minute destiny". Currently, dozens of height-related genes have been located. Almost 70% to 80% of height differences are genetically determined. The space for acquired intervention is very limited. As long as the height is between 3% and 97% of the height percentile for people of the same age, gender, and race, height does not affect health. However, the team working on children’s health care does not agree with this statement. I have seen a follow-up study by the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center before. 1,000 children aged 6 to 12 years old supplemented high-quality protein as required for 5 consecutive years, ensured one hour of bouncing exercise every day, and slept for 9 hours. The final average height was 4.2 cm higher than the genetic target height, and there were no side effects. Their view is that as long as scientific intervention is carried out before epiphyseal closure, the upper limit of the genetic interval can be completely touched, or even exceeded.

Speaking of which, I have calculated my genetic target height before. My father is 172 and my mother is 160. It is calculated to be 172.5. I am now exactly 173 and the line is stuck. I used to regret that I did not grow to 175. Later, I asked a doctor I know well and they said that this is the most standard healthy height. What are you worrying about.

Of course, this does not mean that all heights are considered healthy. Those with real pathological conditions must be intervened. For example, if the height of an adult male is less than 145cm, accompanied by abnormal intellectual development and underdevelopment of secondary sexual characteristics, there is a high probability of growth hormone deficiency or chromosomal abnormalities. This is no longer within the normal range. The earlier intervention, the better the effect. There are also adult men who are over 210cm tall. Many of them have gigantism caused by adenomas in the pituitary gland. The burden on the heart is several times heavier than that of ordinary people. They are also prone to compression of the optic nerve and must be treated in time.

Oh, by the way, I used to meet a buddy who was only 168cm tall. He had low self-esteem because of his height. Later, he built up his body muscles and was able to reach a height of 3.1 meters. He could run for 40 minutes without gasping for breath. His annual physical examination was all normal, and his body fat rate remained around 12% all year round. He was healthier than many young men over 180 who stayed up late drinking every day and had fatty liver and high uric acid. I don’t know how healthy he was.

I have seen an interesting research controversy before. Some scholars said that the taller the person, the higher the risk of cancer, because cells divide more times and the probability of mutation is higher.； Some scholars say that taller people have stronger heart and lung reserves and lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Both sides are supported by large sample data, but there is no conclusion yet. To put it bluntly, the impact of height on health is far less than that of regular work and rest, less smoking and drinking.

The most outrageous thing is those who do bone heightening in order to increase their height. I met a 22-year-old boy who was originally 172cm and was quite healthy. He had to go abroad to do bone heightening in order to reach 180. As a result, he got infected after the operation and the bones grew crooked. He ended up with a limp and it was difficult to even walk normally. Isn't this just picking up sesame seeds and losing the watermelon?

Anyway, there is really no need to be tied down by the anxiety marketed by the "180cm passing line" on the Internet. If you grow it naturally, you have no illness or pain, and you can run and jump normally, that is your healthy height. After all, we can't live by our height in this life, right?