Height has gradually increased in advanced societies in recent years. This has come in part due to better nutrition. Scientists are now also finding out something new about height for humans. A height study reveals new genes related to human growth.
New genes that are related to human growth have been found by a study about it. The International Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) Consortium has uncovered 83 new genes related to human height. The new genes can help in changes that would have more potent effects.
Finding the new genes and its effects to human growth has been done through an international collaboration, as noted by Joel Hirschorn, M.D., Ph.D. from Boston Children's Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He is also the chair for the GIANT Consortium as well as the co-senior investigator for the study. The GIANT study was made in 2014 with over 250,000 people participating.
In the 2014 study the genetic variants for height was brought close to 700. This was done with an older technology. The new study has involved much newer technology, as well as 711,428 participants. The new technology used has been called ExomeChip.
The new study has uncovered the 83 new variants. 51 of those variants have been categorized as low frequency, while 32 of those are rare variants. The new variants are significant since they have the potential to increase human height in considerable ways, according to the Boston Children's Hospital's site.
The genes that have been found have significant roles in skeletal growth. Some of them are quite known, while the other genes have not previously been associated with growth. One such gene is STC2. It has two different DNA changes, and for some it can increase height by one to two centimeters, as Science Daily reports. It could also serve as a brake to stop growth in some cases.
Finding out how genes play a role in human growth can also lead to others, such as finding out how diabetes works. That has been the thrust of the study. For now though, the height study reveals new genes related to human growth. A study also shows that school kids have lower back pain.
