Why You Shrink As You Age

Have you noticed that you're shorter than you were a few years ago?  Your pants may suddenly be too long on you and you look in the mirror and realize you are shrinking.  I have lost 2 inches in height over the past 20 years.  My mom has lost about 4 inches over the years, and another friend of mine just got measured at the doctor's office and discovered he had lost 4 inches in height.

Average people lose 1/4 to 1/2 inch every decade after age 40 or 50, with losses increasing in later years, and women generally losing more than men.  It varies a lot, some people losing a lot at one time, others not losing any height until they're in their 60's or 70's.  So why do we shrink?

People lose height because the discs between the vertebrae in the spine dehydrate and compress.  The agine spine can also become more curved, and vertebrae can collapse due to loss of bone density.

Losing height can be an indicator of health problems. The greater the shrinkage, the greater the risk of hip and other nonvertebral fractures.  Also, shrinkage can be a result of osteoporosis.

There's not too much you can do to prevent shrinkage, since genetics plays a big role.  However, even in later years you may be able to slow shrinkage by taking steps that will help protect your bones and muscles, such as doing weight bearing exercise, consuming adequae calcium, vitamin D and other bone healthy nutrients, not drinking alcohol in excess, and above all, NOT SMOKING.