How Nutrition Affects Your Height:
Your genes have a major role in determining your height, but diet helps you reach your potential. Throughout childhood and adolescence, your body uses nutrients to mature normally. Without the correct fuel, even a tall gene carrier could come up short—literally.
1. The Role of Nutrition in Growth.
Growth is a biological process regulated by hormones, the major ones being the growth hormone (GH) and the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). They are regulated by your diet. Eat a disease-fighting diet so your body meets its nutritional needs and provides the building blocks it needs to grow: proteins to build muscle and tissues, calcium and vitamin D to promote bone development, and other nutrients including zinc, iron, and magnesium necessary for cell functioning
2. Key Nutrients That Affect Height.
- Calcium, which has a great effect on bone and includes dry products, leafy greens, and fruit.
- Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium, which we can get from eggs, milk, and sunlight.
- Protein. Protein that helps support muscle growth and tissue repair, which includes nuts, beans, etc.
- “Zinc and magnesium, both necessary for the growth of the body, occur in numerous foods and seeds.
3. Malnourishment Can Cause Growth to Stall.
Chronic undernourishment, particularly in critical growth stages (infancy, childhood, and adolescence), can cause stunted growth. When the body lacks sufficient nutrients, survival becomes the priority at the expense of growth. This is the reason why children in situations of food insecurity are more likely to grow up shorter in stature.
