Baby’s Height Does Not Solely Depend On Parents’ Genes: Family Bonding, Active Play & Diet Can Also Influence Baby’s Growth, Study Says

A new study claimed that a baby's height does not solely depend on the parents' genes. Israeli researchers have found that environmental factors such as family bonding, active play and diet can also influence the baby's growth.

Environmental Factors Affect A Baby's Height

The Daily Mail reports that an Israeli research team, led by Professor Ze'ev Hochberg of the Technion's Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Dr. Alina German of Bnai Zion Hospital, discovered that environmental factors are as important as genetics in a baby's height. They found that family bonding, active play and diet can account for 50 percent of influencing a baby's growth.

The team conducted the study by tracking and assessing the growth of 162 sets of twins and 106 of non-twin siblings. They gauge the impact of genetics and concluded that aside from the parents' genes, environmental factors like family bonding, active play and diet are also major players in determining a baby's height.

"This is called plasticity in human development, which means that environmental conditions such as mother and baby nutrition, social and family interactions, can influence our growth and height," Professor Hochberg explained.

Experts Agree That Environmental Factors Influence Baby's Height

Dr. Julie Green, executive director of Raising Children Network, agreed to the study. She told Essential Baby that family bonding plays a major role to a baby's first year and this could affect all areas of development including a baby's height.

Moreover, according to the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, playing games with babies at their early years can help in boosting their growth. Active play also helps in developing their bodies and brains.

The baby's diet, as well as the mother's pregnancy diet, could also influence the baby's height. A past study has found that pregnant women who take a glass of milk every day will have taller babies compared to pregnant women who drank less. 

Are you convinced that family bonding, active play and diet can influence a baby's height? Share your thoughts below.