If you want to know how tall your child will be as an adult, it’s not enough to just look at your own height and that of your partner.
This is shown by a new study in which researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia analyzed DNA from a total of 5.4 million people and uncovered a total of 12,000 gene variables that influence body height in adulthood.
The scientists say the results show that it is possible to use DNA to predict body height more accurately than has ever been possible, but it is also possible to discover hidden diseases much earlier than now.
The growth curve from childhood to adulthood, together with the role that genetics play in the context, has been an extremely difficult and unclear subject. Tables are often used based on the body height of the mother and father, but the results will always be approximate.
The Australian researchers therefore decided to compare height and DNA from more than 280 different studies using special analysis programs.
After this, it was possible to identify 12,111 gene variables in the vicinity of the genes that control bone growth.
The researchers believe that these variables can explain 40% of the height difference between people of European origin. In addition, they consider 20% to be explained by environmental factors.
Now they hope that the discovery will enable doctors to find children who do not grow at the right pace according to the gene’s specifications, thereby finding hidden diseases that inhibit growth.
