Why do we stop growing? Detailed answer

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Why do we stop growing? Detailed answer

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Why do we stop growing?

The average newborn has a length of about 50 cm. In the first 20 years, a person's height triples and reaches an average of about 1,7 meters.

But why does a person not continue to grow all his life? What stops the growth of the body? The body has a system of glands called endocrine glands that control our growth. The endocrine glands include: the thyroid gland in the neck, the pituitary gland connected to the brain, the thymus gland, which is located in the chest, and the gonads. The pituitary gland is one of the glands that stimulates the growth of our bones. If he works too hard, the arms and legs grow too long, and the hands and feet also become too big. If this gland does not work hard enough, we can remain midgets.

A child is born with a large thymus gland. During childhood, it continues to increase, and at the age of 13 or 14 it begins to shrink. The thymus definitely has a connection with the gonads. It works while the gonads are small. As soon as they begin to develop, the thymus gland stops working. That's why, when a person fully matures sexually (at about the age of 22), he practically stops growing!

Sometimes the sex glands develop too quickly and prematurely slow down the growth of the thymus. As a result, a person's height remains below average. Since, compared to other organs, our legs begin to grow later and must reach a large size, this early development leaves them short. Therefore, people who develop too rapidly sexually are often stocky. An example of this type of people is Napoleon.

If the sex glands begin to develop too late, the thymus gland continues to work, and the growth of a person becomes above average. In fact, we continue to grow a little even after 25 years and reach our maximum height around the age of 35-40 years. After that, we decrease by about 12 mm every 10 years. The reason for this is the dehydration of the cartilage in our joints and spine as we age.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How is water consumption changing?

Every year, mankind consumes more and more water. If in 1950 it consumed about 1 billion m³, then in 1980 already 3,5 billion m³, and by 2000 it reached 5 billion m³. About 75% goes to irrigation (watering), the industry uses another 20%, and only 5% goes to personal needs. In developed countries, individual water consumption ranges from 120 to 300 liters per day for each apartment, while in India it is only 25 liters.

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