A person's height grows as their long bones develop.
Height is a term that has its etymological origin in the Latin word statūra . The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the height of a human being .
To know the height of an individual, therefore, it must be measured from the soles of the feet to the top of the head . While in the decimal metric system height can be expressed in meters or centimeters , in the Anglo-Saxon system inches and feet are used.
About height
We said above that stature is the height of a subject. In this framework, it is important to mention that height is the measurement of something obtained vertically , from its base or lower sector to its highest point.
It is evident that people have different heights (they are not all the same size). Beyond particularities and exceptions , sexual dimorphism is recorded in the human species: adult women are usually shorter than adult men.
Height, in this way, is linked to biological (genetic) issues . In any case, other issues also influence, such as nutrition and various environmental aspects.
It can be stated that, in the growth stage, there are factors capable of influencing the height that will be achieved upon reaching adulthood. Environmental pollution, eating style and frequency of physical activity are among these variables.
Height is important in basketball.
The growth period
Human growth is linked to the process of lengthening the so-called long bones . When the physis (also known as the growth cartilage ) closes, these bones stop extending, reaching the height that will remain throughout adulthood. Then, in old age, a reduction in height occurs.
Generally, men reach their greatest height around 18 or 20 years old . On the other hand, women do it earlier: between 14 and 16 years of age .
As we already indicated, many factors can affect growth and, therefore, height. Anyone who grows up without access to healthy food and suffering from nutritional deficiencies, for example, is likely to develop a shorter than average height.
The incidence of height
Having a certain height influences the execution of daily activities and tasks. Someone short usually has difficulty picking up objects located on the upper shelves of furniture, while a very tall person will be uncomfortable lying on a conventional bed , to point out two possibilities.
Height is important, on the other hand, in several sports. In basketball , it is a central element since the hoop or basket is located at a distance of 3.05 meters from the ground.
Disorders and diseases
There are disorders that cause human beings to reach a shorter or taller height compared to the most common values. In the first case, it may be dwarfism , an anomaly associated with bone (such as achondroplasia ), glandular ( cretinism ) and other problems.
When the height is much higher than average, it may be due to gigantism . This disease occurs when the body secretes an exaggerated amount of somatotropin, known as growth hormone.