Scientists Discover 83 Gene Variants That Affect Your Height

New research has discovered 83 rare gene variants that influence human height. 300 researchers looked at genetic data from 711,428 people across five continents, and found that some of these gene variants are capable of adding or subtracting more two centimetres.

Previous studies have shown that genetics are the biggest influence on tallness – around 80%. However, prior research has found genes to have a smaller individual effect, typically altering someone's height by less than a milimetre. Over a quarter of the new gene variants affect height more than one centimetre, according to the team.

Boston Children's Hospital, which took part in the study, said that one gene, in particular, called STC2 had two different DNA changes that had larger effects on stature. It is thought only about one in a 1000 people carry one of these variants, and are 1-2cms taller than those who don't.

Seeing that we've known for a while that genes affect height, what's the significance of the study? Despite this knowledge, how people grow and what influences skeletal growth remains poorly understood. "Height is almost completely determined by genetics, but our earlier studies were only able to explain about 10% of this genetic influence," explains Boston Children's Hospital's Joel Hirschhorn. Thanks to this study we can now account for 20%.

Andrew Wood of the University of Exeter, a co-author of the study said:

"Our latest discovery means that we can now explain over a quarter of the heritable factors involved in influencing a person's height."

Hirschhorn adds that the STC2 gene variant may be "a potential drug target for short stature."

The newly discovered gene variants were involved with gene regulation of bone and cartilage development, hormone production and activation, say the researchers.

The scientists hope that a better understanding of genetics and height may help them work out how DNA predicts other less obvious traits and illness/disease risks, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Non-genetic influences on height include nutrition, pollution and other environmental factors.

The study was published in Nature.