Is it true that people are getting taller and taller? On average, yes and the MC3R receptor is involved

THE’humanity has physically transformed over the centuries and one of the most evident changes concerns theprogressive increase in average height. We have gradually become taller, especially over the years last 150 years. This phenomenon, attributed to genetic and environmental factorsis mainly influenced by improvements in the nutritionaccess to health services and of living conditions. A recent study, then, published in Naturealso suggests that the MC3R receptor plays a key role in the brain.

How much we have grown over time: some data

Anthropometric studies tell us that the average human height has increased constantly, especially in industrialized countries. For example:

• In the 1800the average height of a European man was approx 165cm. Today it exceeds 176 cm.
• In South Koreataking a more specific context, the women they earned on average 20 cm between 1900 and 2000going from an average height of 142 cm to over 162 cm.

These increases are attributed to improvements in diet, with higher protein and calorie consumption, and a reduction in infectious diseases during childhood.

The MC3R receptor and the role of genes in height

A recent study published in Nature has identified a key gene in growth: il MC3R receptor. This brain receptor is sensitive to the nutritional status of the body and regulates:

• Growth rate in children: promotes healthy growth by regulating the energy allocated to skeletal and muscular development.
• Beginning of puberty: helps determine the moment in which the hormonal changes fundamental for physical and sexual maturation begin.
• Increased muscle mass: Supports the building of muscle tissue, essential for a healthy and functional body.

This discovery places the phenomenon of increasing height in a broad framework, which combines genetics and environment: Its effectiveness is highly dependent on environmental conditions, such as access to a balanced diet and an environment free of malnutrition or chronic stress. This means that even if a person has a functioning MC3R receptor, its potential may be limited by external factors, such as scarcity of food resources or poor health conditions.

Nutrition and health: the main environmental factors why average height increases

As we anticipated, beyond the action of the MC3R receptor, there are various environmental factors which can promote greater height in people:

• Better nutrition: scholars such as Sidney Mintz, underline that urbanization and the globalization of resources have led to an increase in the availability of caloric and protein foods: this nutritional surplus would have had a direct impact on height, since a richer diet, especially in the first years of life , is essential for bone and muscle development.
• Health and hygiene: the reduction of infectious diseases, thanks to vaccines, antibiotics and better hygienic conditions, has played a fundamental role since infections and diseases debilitate the body and take energy away from growth processes.
• Urbanization and living conditions: urbanization and the improvement of living conditions are phenomena closely intertwined with the increase in the average height of the population. With the advent of industrialization, not only have working and living models changed, but there has been a profound transformation in access to resources and quality of life. The anthropologist David Harvey, in his famous essay on economic and social transition, highlighted how the decrease in extreme physical fatigue in industrialized societies, combined with greater work specialization, has allowed many people to conserve energy and physiological resources for bodily development .