We all know that losing weight has links to several health benefits. But what’s unclear is whether losing weight makes you taller.
So, does losing weight make you taller? Yes, weight and height always seem to go hand in hand. But the answer to this question is not as direct as it may seem.
Although losing weight can result in height gain, it’s not usually how most people think. There is a range of things that affect height – none of which have anything to do with weight.
Read on as we delve deeper into the topic, where we’ll look at tips to help you grow taller and explore factors that determine your height.
Could Losing Weight Make You Taller?
Losing a few pounds to achieve a healthy weight range may not make any difference to your height. Similarly, if you lose about five pounds, there’ll be no noticeable difference in height if you’re not that overweight.
However, the exercises you do to lose weight can increase height.
If you do regular functional exercises, you may notice an increase in height, but not for the reasons you may think. Exercise improves posture, especially if you do it rightly, making you appear taller.
Suppose you’re clinically obese and decide to lose that extra weight. First of all, good for you. But there’s more to be gained. You’ll likely notice a height difference that’s a bit clearer. By losing the extra pounds, you stand taller and look taller.
So, no, losing weight doesn’t make you taller. However, it can make you appear taller, especially if the difference between your width and height is more significant.
Does Body Weight Affect Height?
Studies show there’s no association between adult weight and height status. Remember, your growth plates close after reaching a certain age (somewhere around the mid-20s). Therefore, it’s impossible to increase your height after this. Well, unless you get a surgical procedure.
However, your weight has an impact on your perceived and standing height. So does your diet during childhood and adolescence. It can affect how tall you get as an adult. But these are not deciding factors and shouldn’t worry you so much.
What Affects One’s Height?
Height can be complicated. It keeps varying right from birth into adulthood and for various reasons besides transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
Scientists reckon the following factors influence your height.
Growth Plates
The spine is the main contributor to height. As the largest skeletal structure in the human body, it comprises a series of interconnected bones and tissues. These include 24 individual bones (vertebrae) used in biological classification.
That means the spine collectively hosts growth plates usually attached to those long bones in your back. Primarily, the growth plates influence height in your body.
So, when the growth plates close, you can no longer grow taller. They’re responsible for increasing the length and width of your bones, and each bone has two growth plates attached to it.
As you grow from childhood to adulthood, the growth plates create new bones, and the long bones keep elongating, increasing height.
Genetics
Ongoing research shows that genetic traits are responsible for about 40 to 80 percent of your height.
Your body has numerous genes that affect growth plates. These genes also influence growth hormone production.
Gender
Generally, males tend to be taller than females. Men also grow for more extended periods than women, contributing to their taller overall height.
Hormones
Hormones work to neurotransmit instructions to growth plates in your spine, resulting in new bone formation. These hormones include sex, growth, and thyroid hormones.
Other Factors
Other factors believed to affect height include:
- Nutrition in childhood and adolescence
- Physical exercises in childhood and adulthood
- General health in childhood and adulthood
- Sleep in childhood and adolescence
- Some medical conditions, including osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a medical condition that may cause bending in the bones and spine in the hips and legs, translating into a direct loss of several inches.
What Benefits Come with Losing Weight?
Before looking at the advantages of losing weight, I thought we might consider one study on height. It shows that thinner people appear taller and taller people appear slimmer, although the illusion is much stronger in the former category.
In short, and this makes it even more complicated, losing weight may make you seem taller in other people’s eyes. But this only happens if they don’t think about it for too long, and provided you aren’t standing beside very tall people.
The benefits of weight loss include:
- Better control of your blood sugar
- Reduced blood pressure
- Decrease in cholesterol levels
- Improves your brain activity
- Enhances the quality of your sleep
Losing weight is especially advantageous for clinically obese people. It means taking back control over your life once more and living longer.
How Can I Get Taller?
As we’ve already mentioned, once your growth plates have closed, it’s not possible to achieve any significant change in height. However, before you hit 25, you can try several things to get taller.
Keep in mind that the farther you are from the end of puberty, the stronger the chance you have. Try doing this:
- Eat a nutritious diet: feed on plenty of green veggies, dairy products, lean protein, food rich in zinc, vitamin D, and include a niacin supplement to boost your growth hormones.
- Get plenty of exercises: Some of the best to do are swimming, tickle massage, cycling, and aerobics.
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule
So, Does Losing Weight Make You Taller?
Although losing weight won’t result in height gain, it doesn’t mean it’ll be in vain to lose weight. Besides helping you live healthily, it will be a significant boost to your height later in life when you risk losing it due to obesity-linked conditions such as osteoporosis.
If you’re still in your puberty, eating healthy, sleeping enough, and exercising regularly, can contribute to an increase in height. After puberty, there’s no natural way of making yourself taller. But especially if you’re clinically obese, it can make you appear taller.
It’s a complicated topic, but you now have an idea about the correlation between weight and height.