“Are you getting taller, or am I just getting shorter?” That’s a question you might have heard at least once or twice from elderly members of your family growing up. While you probably laughed it off, some humans actually do get shorter as they grow older. In fact, the reason why humans shrink is actually essential to keeping up with your health.
While everyone is different biologically, everyone gets shorter as they age. However, it’s how short you get that can really tell you something about your health, scientists who research aging told Live Science. For starters, we typically lose height as we age due to different factors like changes in physical nutrition, our genes, and our activity level.
All of this causes our bones, muscles, and cartilage to thin and essentially wear away as time goes on. As that happens, and then one is slowly eaten away, we start to become shorter, too. This is why elderly members of your family appear to get shorter as they grow older. But understanding why humans shrink as they age is just part of the equation.
See, while we know that our bones and cartilage will deteriorate as we grow older, it’s important to know that the reasoning behind how fast these parts of our body collapse is important. For one, if you aren’t getting enough nutrition, your bones will degrade much quicker. Which means you’ll see far more height loss.
There is also the risk of other issues, like osteoporosis, which is when your bones become thin, brittle, and weak. This is a major reason why some humans shrink so much, and it can wreak havoc on the rest of the body if you don’t take proper care of yourself.
Other causes of height loss include poor posture, such as sitting slumped over at a desk too much. To avoid these kinds of issues, make sure you’re eating well, sitting up straight, carrying yourself with good posture, and even exercising to help your muscles stay strong.
Ultimately, why humans shrink can vary quite a bit. But, what you need to know is that it’s completely normal to lose a couple of inches a you grow older. Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself so you don’t see all the adverse effects of aging.
