# why do people get smaller in height with age?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-smaller-in-height-with-age/107288>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 4, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-smaller-in-height-with-age/107288 "2002-05-04T20:24:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bigdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@bigdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigdave)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-smaller-in-height-with-age/107288/1 "2002-05-04T20:24:57Z")

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I have notcied that some of my older relatives seem to have decreased in height over the last few year, is this somthing to do with them all reaching 80? or is there some biological reason why they are shrinking?  
☹

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**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-smaller-in-height-with-age/107288/2 "2002-05-04T20:27:40Z")

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Well I am only 36 and I have lost a full inch of height. In my case, it is due to spondylolisthesis…a narrowing of my disc space and an overlapping of two of my vertebrae.

I imagine in most cases it is a similar shrinking of the space between vertebrae that causes shrinking.

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**Author:** ![Joe\_Mahma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Joe\_Mahma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Mahma)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-smaller-in-height-with-age/107288/3 "2002-05-04T22:18:27Z")

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Calliope is right. This is the explanation I’ve heard.

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**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2002, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-smaller-in-height-with-age/107288/4 "2002-05-04T23:15:17Z")

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[Osteoporosis](http://health.yahoo.com/health/women/coping3a.html)

Loss of body calcium reserves leading to loss of bone density, weakening and progressive compression fractures in the spine.

> [@](#):
>
> Height Loss  
> Spinal osteoporosis is rarely diagnosed until spinal bones have broken. These breaks occur at the weakest points of the spinal column – places where the spine naturally curves. Women are often unaware that they have these compression fractures because they dont always cause prolonged or severe pain, or disability. However, one unmistakable warning sign is a loss of height, which is directly related to spinal crush fractures. This loss of 2-and-a-half up to as much as 8 inches occurs in the upper half of the body. You can and should watch for development of spinal osteoporosis by routinely measuring and recording your height.
> 
> “Dowagers Hump”  
> With a loss of height due to vertebral fractures comes distortion of the spines normal curves. This can lead to the development of a “dowagers hump” – a protrusion in the upper back and a shortening of the chest area, that leaves the ribs practically sitting on the pelvic region. One consequence is more difficulty in digesting food. Another is the impact on your appearance and self-esteem. **This hunchback-like appearance is not a natural part of growing older or the result of poor posture; it is a clear indication of osteoporosis.**

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2002, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-get-smaller-in-height-with-age/107288/5 "2002-05-06T06:24:01Z")

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[ul]… \*\*GRAVITY \*\*  
… 😉 [/ul]