This article is from WeChat official account:Nutshell (ID: Guokr42), author: on behalf of Tian Yi, editor: odette, title figure from: vision China
I often hear people say that they suddenly jumped in height after practicing basketball or jumping when they were young. Looking at their tall man, do you regret not having much exercise while envying them?
It’s okay to be envious of others, but you don’t have to regret your height, because even if you keep exercising, you may not get taller.
Picture丨giphy
Eighth height depends on genes
Let’s talk about the most heartbreaking first: the height of adulthood is largely determined by genes. At present, most researchers believe that exercise will neither promote nor hinder growth.
The length of bone depends mainly on genes
The sharp increase in height during adolescence is mainly due to the increase in the length of the bone, but not the entire bone grows evenly, the new bone mainly comes from the epiphyseal plate at the end of the long bone(Growth Plate), the cartilage here grows under the stimulation of hormones and external force to increase the length of bone. After the epiphysis is closed, the bone cannot continue to lengthen, and it reaches the final adult height(This is also the basis for bone age measurement).
Left image-New bone grows out of the growth plate; Right image-Observe the epiphysis by left hand X-ray film to determine bone age丨lyndarandy/Hand Bone Age
They are all healthy adults, and their heights may differ by tens of centimeters. About 80% of this difference comes from genes. The number of genes that determine height in adulthood is not simple, but hundreds or thousands. A single gene has little effect. At present, the prediction of height by genetic testing is not very accurate.[1, 2].
The remaining 20% height difference is determined by the growth environment, mainly includes nutrition and certain diseases[3 , 4]. The height before the age of 10 is greatly affected by environmental factors. With age, the influence of genes gradually appears.[5].
Exercise well, do not grow tall or stay short
Studies have shown that exercise can increase the level of hormones that stimulate bone growth. Bone impact or muscle tension is also beneficial to growth. These seem to indicateTo “sports to promote growth.” However, in a study that directly analyzed the relationship between exercise and height, scientists grouped minors according to the amount of exercise and tracked them for several years, and found that there was no significant difference in height between the groups[6, 7].
Currently, most researchers believe that for healthy children and adolescents with balanced nutrition, adequate exercise with a reasonable design cannot increase or reduce adult height. And in the process of growing up, sports will not advance or delay the growth of heights[8-10].
Choose basketball or gymnastics, don’t worry
Sports itself may not affect your height, but if you look at the elite players in each sport in the picture below, you can guess who is on the basketball or volleyball team and who is the gymnast based on their height alone. The height difference is so obvious, there must be reasons other than training.
A body comparison of elite players in different sports丨howard schatz
I choose the project that is easy to win, and the coach chooses me
There have been studies comparing 184 high-level gymnastics, swimming and other sports athletes. Unsurprisingly, there are obvious differences in height between different sports. But looking back, the researchers found that the height gap appeared as early as 2 to 4 years old, and the team members had not yet started training for their own projects.[8, 11,12].
In other words, they first had a height difference before they started special training. Just as tall people find that they have an advantage in basketball since they were young, they are more willing to practice basketball; coaches also consider their height when selecting players, and even look at the height of their parents first. After entering the basketball team, most of the players who did not continue to grow taller withdrew or changed the project, leaving only the tall one[8]. Other events are similar, such as shorter people are more likely to be selected for the gymnastics team.
So, the difference in height between sports is mainly from choice, not from training.[4, 6, 13] .
not long, there are other reasons
Ordinary sports do not affect height, but professional athletes in some events do become shorter.
There was a research report on a pair of identical twins. Both sisters started to practice gymnastics at the age of 3, and one of them started to practice basketball at the age of 9, training 6-8 hours a week and maintaining a normal diet. The other became a gymnast, training 25 hours a week, and eating very little to stay in shape. By the age of 13.5, the gymnast’s height is 148 cm, which is clearly behind his siblings’ 154 cm, and the weight, body fat and developmental level are also low.[14].
The sisters seem to have revealed the difference between gymnastics and basketball. In fact, they currently believe that training is not the key. The main reason is that the gymnasts control their diet so that the nutrition is not enough to support sports consumption and growth needs, plus the spirit of training and competition. High stress leads to lower levels of growth-related hormones, which ultimately affects growth, development and bone density[6, 8, 13, 15] .
After reducing training or supplementing nutrition, some gymnasts have soared in height and are catching up to their desired heights, while others stillSlightly short [6, 8, 12].
Compared to the project, technology and strength are more critical
In addition to gymnastics, weightlifting is often tied to length and height. In fact, strength training will not make people shorter, but wrong movements or overload training may affect height.
As mentioned earlier, the epiphyseal plate is the place where new bone is formed. This is also the most vulnerable part of immature bone.[ 16]. Injuries that cause adult ligament tears affect children, which may cause epiphyseal plate fractures, so that bone length no longer increases, or bone growth is slow, excessive, and uneven, resulting in short height or inconsistent leg lengths [15]. The fastest age is the most prone to such injuries, generally between 10 and 16 years of age[9, 10] span>.
However, damage usually occurs when the weight is too large, the action is wrong, and there is no professional supervision. If the focus is on learning the correct movements, and at the same time, qualified professionals control the intensity and amount of training and ensure rest, strength training is safe, and it is also a sport recommended by health agencies in various countries.[6, 9, 16-18].
Growth plate fracture丨saintlukeskc
Finally, although exercise is likely to not increase the length of bones and make people grow taller, it can make bones stronger. Scientists have clearly confirmed that reasonable exercise can increase bone density and bone strength. And the best window to increase bone mass is in the adolescence, when accumulation can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in the following lifetime. In various sports, higher-intensity events are better, such as running, jumping and strength training.[4, 8, 10, 19]< /sup>.
In addition, the energetic, self-confident and joyful exercise brought by is popular with peers. If you can run and jump, you will be scrambled when playing in a team, avoiding the neglect of “not taking you to play”. More importantly, If you were accustomed to and liked sports when you were young, you will not be so tormented in adulthood, and it will be easier to stay away from shoulder pain and various chronic diseases[4, 19].
Whether you are still growing taller or not, you can rest assured to choose your favorite sport. Although the absolute height may not increase due to this, changes in posture and body shape may make you look taller.
References
[1] Weedon MN, Frayling TM. Reaching new heights: insights into the genetics of human stature. Trends Genet. 2008;24(12):595-603.
[2] Marouli E, Graff M, Medina-Gomez C, et al. Rare and low-frequency coding variants alter human adult height. Nature. 2017;542(7640) :186-190.
[3]ty on the epiphyseal growth plates: a review of the literature on normal physiology and clinical implications. J Clin Med Res. 2011;3(1):1-7.
[8] Bertelloni S, Ruggeri S, Baroncelli GI. Effects of sports training in adolescence on growth, puberty and bone health. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2006;22(11):605 -12.
[9] National Strength and Conditioning Association; G. Gregory Haff, N. Travis Triplett, editors. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed. 2016.
[10] Hills AP, King NA, Armstrong TP. The contribution of physical activity and sedentary behaviours to the growth and development of children and adolescents: implications for overweight and obesity. Sports Med. 2007;37(6):533-45.
[11] Damsgaard R, Bencke J, Matthiesen G, Petersen JH, Müller J. Is prepubertal growth adversely affected by sport? Med Sci Sports Exerc.2000;32(10):1698-703.
[12] Malina RM, Baxter-Jones AD, Armstrong N, Beunen GP, Caine D, Daly RM, Lewis RD, Rogol AD, Russell K. Role of intensive training in the growth and maturation of artistic gymnasts. Sports Med. 2013;43(9):783-802.
[13] Alves C, Lima RV. Impacto da atividade física e esportes sobre o crescimento e puberdade de crianc ¸as e adolescentes. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2008;26:383- –91.
[14] Constantini N W. Brautber C. Manny N. Ish-Shalom S. Differences in Growth and maturation in Twin Athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 1997; 29:150.
[15] Caine Dennis, Bass Shona, Daly Robin. Does Elite Competition Inhibit Growth and Delay Maturation in Some Gymnasts? Quite Possibly. Pediatric exercise science. 2003;15(4) :360-372.
[16] Arnold A, Thigpen CA, Beattie PF,Kissenberth MJ, Shanley E. Overuse Physeal Injuries in Youth Athletes. Sports Health. 2017;9(2):139-147.
[17] Working Group on the Preparation of Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in China. Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in China. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Pediatrics. 2017,12(6):401-409.
[18] Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, Carlson SA, Fulton JE, Galuska DA, George SM, Olson RD. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA. 2018 ;320(19):2020-2028.
[19] Chahar, Pradeep Singh. Physiological basis of Growth and Development among Children and Adolescent in Relation to Physical Activity. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2014;2(5A ):17-22.
This article is from WeChat official account:Nutshell (ID: Guokr42) author: on behalf of Tian Yi, editor: odette