When looking at people around us, we see people of diverse heights, sizes, and shapes. Some are tall, short, thin, or obese. One may begin to ponder about the standard height and weight of a human. A tall person for us could be a short one in some other country. A lot of people usually ponder why many obese people look smaller. But wait, is there any relationship between obesity and height? This has been a lingering question. But here, we will discuss it in detail. Firstly, we must know about the four main factors responsible for our height.

 

Factors that determine Human Heights

The following factors are determinants of Human heights:

Hormones: Growth hormones, Sex hormones (testosterone or estrogen), and thyroid hormones are mainly involved.

Genetics: People belonging to different ethnic groups and regions have different genes which cause different growth patterns.

Gender: Generally, males are taller than females. Before puberty, boys and girls grow at a similar speed, but boys grow more than girls. The average height of an adult man is 14cm taller than the average height of an adult woman.

Spine/Backbone: Bones in our body have growth plates known as epiphysis. The length of our bones continues to increase till growth plates get mature and fuse. But there is a fusion pattern of bones; First hands and feet, then arms and legs, and spine are the last ones.

 

What obesity does to the body?

Being overweight is good for nothing. Unfortunately, people gain weight so easily, all thanks to fast food and refined sugar products. But losing weight looks like a battle. Obesity causes many serious problems. Some major conditions are Type-2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Coronary heart disease, and Stroke.

 

What obesity does to the spine?

Reduction of disc height

An increase in weight causes a reduction in disc height. A study was done where Seventy-two participants from a community-based study of musculoskeletal health underwent magnetic resonance imaging from the T12 vertebral body to the sacrum. The mean and total lumbar disc heights were reduced in obese individuals compared with nonobese individuals. Obesity was associated with reduced disc height in the lumbar spine.

 

Deviation in lumbar spinal angle

Excess body weight affects our posture and curvature. A study in 2015 shows that an increase in body weight increases lumbar spine angle because excessive fat puts load, and due to lack of proper support and to compensate, our spine becomes sloped unevenly.

 

Damage to growth plates

Obesity in children can damage the developing bones at the site of growth plates which causes a decrease in height and bone problems like arthritis etc.

 

But How does Weight Loss Affect The Height?

Nobody shape is perfect, nothing is absolute, but there are always possibilities to get better and look better. On this path, height and weight are something people are most concerned about. Many people wish to gain height and lose weight simultaneously. They often wonder if losing weight can lead to gain height too. What Do you think, if you lose weight, you can get taller? Let’s find out.

You might be asking yourself if there is a link between your weight and your current height. The answer is yes; your weight affects your size. So the next question in your mind will be, ‘how can you get taller from losing weight?’ The truth is, lesser weight earns a taller figure.

 

Do I Get Taller When I Lose Weight?

Weight and height are correlated to each other to some extent. This concern leads to many questions like do you get taller if you lose weight or how weight loss affects the height? The fact is that if you’re only a few pounds overweight, losing those pounds won’t make a significant difference in your height.

 

So the answer to the question that do I get taller if I lose weight is that If you categorize yourself as an obese person, then losing weight will significantly affect your height. Overweight exerts a compressive force on the arches of your feet and your vertebrae. That’s why you lose some of your height. But when you lose that excess weight, though, that force is gone and, over time and with some effort to improve your fitness, some of that lost height may come back. Scientific research in 2012 tried to record the variations in height among obese people after losing weight. The findings indicated that losing weight showed a considerable recovery of the height of intervertebral discs. Researchers also discovered the growth of 2mm in a single intervertebral disc after losing weight.

 

We may deduce from this data that a person’s spine has to hold greater weight when overweight or obese. When you lose weight, the compression on your spine is relieved, allowing you to stand taller than previously.

 

Furthermore, extra weight puts strain on your joints, mainly your knees.

Can you get taller from losing weight? It’s only feasible to lose weight to get taller when you’re in your developing years, from childhood to adolescence. Why? Because your bones can no longer expand in length, and you can no longer raise your height naturally after your growth plates have fused or closed fully. To attain your greatest potential height, you should maintain a healthy weight throughout infancy and adolescence to enable favorable conditions for height growth.

It’s important to remember that growing height shouldn’t be your sole reason for losing weight if you’re fat or overweight. Even a small weight decrease can have a significant impact on your overall health and well-being. You can improve your blood sugar management, lower your cholesterol levels, and lower your blood pressure by reducing 5 to 10% of your body weight. You can also lower your chances of some forms of cancer and diabetes by reducing the strain on your important organs. Your longevity can also be improved, according to the study. To cut a long tale short, losing weight means reclaiming a piece of your life and improving your quality of life.

 

To challenge the question, you have to check with your doctor to confirm your body mass index. Having your body mass index will help you know if you are overweight or healthy. When you are overweight, you will notice sluggish changes in your height. However, if you lose mass, you will observe progressive changes in your height development.

 

Can Weight Acquisition Lead To Short Height?

It is not compulsory that losing weight results in an increase in your height. It somehow extends your vertebral column height because of the relief from the pressure exerted on the disc due to obesity. Losing weight also affects height in developmental age and helps to secure you from health issues. Hence, weight gain does not lead to a short height.

 

If you lose weight, do you get taller?

Obesity is a problem facing most teenagers and young adults. Accumulating excess fat in your own body poses a threat to your health and height. In addition, being obese while in your teen ages or young adulthood will make your body experience slow growth in your measurement. Therefore, the question “if you lose weight, can you get taller?” is answered with “excess weight exerts lots of pressure on your spine and joints preventing height growth.”

 

A healthy spine and joints are only achieved when your body mass matches your height. The surplus fat in the human body increases the pressure on your joints and vertebrae. Hence, lots of pressure is exerted on the intervertebral discs in obese individuals, limiting the spine’s growth.  Your body weight is also supported by your joints, mainly your knees. Therefore, excess weight exerts more pressure and friction between the joints interfering with height development.

 

To sum it up, losing weight is beneficial to both your height growth and body health. Losing extra pounds assures lower cholesterol levels in the body and reduced blood pressure. Additionally, loss of weight reduces stress on vital organs in the body. Hence, losing weight reduces the risks of tumor growth that cause cancer.

 

Looking taller and getting taller

If you lose weight, then you will look slightly taller because your body ratio changes. The width of the body decreases and hence the height seems to look increased.  You look slim; therefore, you look tall. However, looking taller and getting taller are two different things!

GHS Talk: You should also consider HGH as one factor that dictates your height either before or after weight loss. Drop in here to know more — HGH for Weight Loss.

 

Effects of exercises

Losing weight also needs lots of exercises, good food, stretching, running, and physical activities. These exercises help to relax muscles, increase body metabolism, and ensures cells activation. Besides, when you work out, you are more concerned about your body posture. You start walking tall. You sit with your spine straight. You avoid losing body posture. All these combine to ensure your height increases a little.

 

Getting taller after adolescence?

Science says that after you cross the age of adolescence, i.e., 19 years, your height stops. Getting into adulthood is gaining width and stiffening of muscles. Though, it is not impossible to gain height in your adulthood.  The study says 60-80% height depends on genes, but 20-40% depends on nutrition, exercise, and diet. Hence a good diet and regular exercise can make your height increase a little even after 19.

 

FAQS

Is it possible to get taller when you lose weight?

A study in 2012 shows that there is 2-3mm increase in disc space was seen after weight loss surgery. Disc space height increased from 6 ± 1.3 mm, pre-surgery to 8 ± 1.5 mm 1-year post-surgery. A significant amount of weight loss will cause an increase in a small amount of height. If you are marginally overweight and loses a small amount of weight, it would not be effective.

Correction of posture and pulling your back forward by losing fat around your abdominal area also make you look tall. There are also some psychological effects of weight loss that help you gain little height. You become confident and keeps good spinal curvature which makes you feel tall.

 

Is there any exercise that can increase my height?

Well, most people will think that losing weight will increase their height and might sound easy. However, for many obese individuals, it takes lots of courage, spirit, and exercise. Exercises such as jogging, press-ups, and hanging exercises reduce fat quantities faster when done regularly. Also, a guided exercising routine helps in losing weight and exercising the vertebrae. Therefore, exercising your vertebrae is a healthy way to increase your height.

 

Can nutrition affect my height?

Good nutrition is vital to achieve good health and maintain your body’s physique, especially weight and stature. An average weight corresponding to one’s tallness is met by taking foods with significant amounts of calories. Calories are units of energy from certain foods that a body requires to function normally. When your body has the right power it needs, extra calories are stored as fat, leading to mass gain. As a young adult, gaining weight will eventually interfere with your height growth.

 

How should height be measured?

The height growth caused by weight reduction in an adult should be measured in millimeters rather than inches. However, it is not completely hopeless for you.

Are thin people taller, or do they look taller?

In reality, a thin body makes a person look taller than their genuine height. This is similar to the optical illusion of vertical stripes, making you appear taller when you aren’t.

 

Conclusion

So, how weight loss affects our height? If obese people win the battle against obesity, it will help them gain little height and protect them from many detrimental conditions. They can consult their physician or dietitians for weight loss exercises and diet plans or other medicinal or surgical procedures. So, considerable weight loss is a must to increase little height for adults. Weight loss has no direct connection with height increase or getting taller. Still, since weight loss undergoes regular exercise, proper diet, and correct posture, it increases the metabolism and further increases in height. So yes, if you lose weight, you can get taller.

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