It is often said,“People get shorter as they get older.”Have you gotten shorter as you’ve gotten older?
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health Aging Study, height begins to decline after the age of 30, and women’s height declines at a faster rate than men’s overall. So why does a person’s height decline with age and is more pronounced in women?
Shorter height is closely linked to bone loss
The spine, the body’s central skeleton, plays a key role in height, and the amount of bone in the spine is critical to maintaining its proper form and function.Research has shown that the human body’s bone mass will peak around the age of 30, meaning that the density and strength of the bones are at their optimal state at this time, and are able to withstand the weight of the body and the stresses of daily activities well, maintaining a normal height and body shape.
Thereafter, with age,Bone mass begins to gradually decline, making the bones less dense, less strong, less stable, and the bones gradually become osteoporotic, making them prone to compression fractures under the weight of the human body every day.This kind of fracture may not have obvious symptoms in the early stage, but it will gradually lead to a reduction in the height of the vertebrae, which will shorten the length of the spine, causing a shortening of height, and then the appearance of a hunchback, a proboscis, and other undesirable body posture.
In addition, after menopause, estrogen levels will drop dramatically and the rate of bone loss will be significantly faster than in men, leading to changes in the morphology of bones in the spine and other parts of the body, making the phenomenon of women becoming shorter in height more prominent.
Vitamin D is essential for maintaining stable bone mass
It is worth mentioning that insufficient raw materials such as vitamin D can increase the rate of bone mass decline. Therefore, vitamin D is essential for maintaining stable bone mass, and most of the body’s vitamin D comes from ultraviolet light exposure in sunlight.
Relevant studies have shown that human skin under ultraviolet irradiation will synthesize common vitamin D from cholesterol and further hydroxylate it into active vitamin D under the action of enzymes, which on the one hand, promotes intestinal calcium absorption, maintains the positive balance of calcium ions, and reduces bone loss; on the other hand, it promotes bone formation and mineralization of bone, accelerates bone resorption, and increases bone mineral density, thus enhancing bone stability. Meanwhile, it regulates the secretion of parathyroid hormone, promotes the healing of bone scab, and facilitates the recovery of bone fracture.
Prospective studies have observed that if a person sunbathes in a bathing suit for 20 minutes outdoors in New York, more vitamin D is synthesized in his body than is absorbed by drinking 200 cups of milk, and there is no question of an overdose, since the amount of newly synthesized vitamin D decreases accordingly if levels in the body are already high.
Light therapy effectively promotes vitamin D synthesis
However, the intensity of sunlight varies significantly with geographic dimensions, cloud cover, seasons and specific times of the day. As a result, photobiomodulation therapy has been widely researched and applied as a complementary treatment to improve bone health problems caused by insufficient light exposure.
A large number of studies have shown that phototherapy irradiation of the skin can promote the conversion of vitamin D, which in turn regulates calcium and phosphorus metabolism and reduces bone loss, and at the same time regulates local blood circulation, enhances osteoclastic activity and reduces inflammatory response, thus promoting bone formation, improving osteoporosis, accelerating bone scab healing, and restoring the normal function of the spine.
Based on photobiomodulation therapy, MERICAN Health Pod, which contains no harmful light, can effectively improve the efficiency of vitamin D synthesis and conversion through whole-body irradiation and maintain the balance of bone metabolism, thus maintaining bone stability and slowing down the rate of bone loss. At the same time, it can stimulate the activity of mitochondrial enzymes, further promote the repair of damaged tissues, relieve muscle tension, and play a role in the prevention of osteoporosis and the protection of bone and joints.
Spinal health is not only about height, it is also the key to maintaining normal functioning of the body and a high quality of life. If you become shorter than 3 centimeters in height, it is important to be vigilant about bone loss and to supplement light exposure. In conclusion, may we all maintain an upright posture and embrace a healthy life.
