Fact or Fiction That Your Height Decreases with Age?

Undoubtedly, people tend to become shorter with advancing age.

After the age of 40, humans generally lose approximately one centimeter of height per decade. Males see height loss each year between 0.08% and 0.1%. Women often experience 0.12-0.14% per year.

Factors Contributing to Height Loss

A portion of this loss stems from increasingly slumped posture as we age. Those who develop a stooped stance throughout the day – possibly during desk work – could find their back slowly conforms that hunched shape.

Everyone loses some height throughout each day as gravity compresses moisture from vertebral discs.

Natural Mechanisms Explaining Shrinking

The change in our stature happens on a cellular scale.

During the early thirties, stature plateaus as our structural tissues begin to diminish. The vertebral discs within our backbone shed water and begin shrinking.

The porous interior throughout our skeletal framework loses density. During this process, skeletal tissue condenses slightly reducing length.

Reduced muscular tissue further impacts our stature: bones maintain their structure and measurements by muscular pressure.

Can We Prevent Stature Reduction?

While this process isn't stoppable, the progression can be delayed.

Following nutrition rich in calcium and vitamin D, performing routine strength-building activities and reducing smoking and drinking starting in early adulthood can decrease how quickly bone and muscle diminish.

Keeping correct spinal position offers additional safeguarding against shrinking.

Is Getting Shorter Concerning?

Becoming slightly shorter could be normal.

However, substantial deterioration of structural tissues with aging associates with long-term medical issues like cardiovascular issues, brittle bones, osteoarthritis, and movement difficulties.

Thus, it's worthwhile to implement protective strategies to support structural tissue wellness.