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Is It Always A Great Thing To Be Very Tall?

You may have observed that a lot of people long to be taller than they already are. It is possible that you are even one of such. There are several perks that are commonly thought to accompany being tall in today’s society.

But at what cost? We discuss here certain things or lessons you can learn from the experiences of some very tall individuals, especially some of the world's tallest.

Gigantism and Acromegaly

You have probably seen some tall people and been like: how did they get so tall? Excessive growth is sometimes the result of gigantism or acromegaly.

One thing many people may not be aware of is that height has to do with human growth hormone (HGH) levels. The amount of this natural substance you have in your body, especially during childhood, will determine how tall you can get.

It has been found that people with short stature typically have problem with the natural production of HGH in their body.

On the other end of the spectrum are those experiencing excess production of this hormone. In this case, you have growth disorders such as gigantism and acromegaly.

Gigantism is a rare condition that develops during childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by significant surge in growth hormone production before the growth plate fuses. This causes affected individuals to have heights that are considerably greater than normal.

The disorder is thought to be the result of growths, or adenomas, on the anterior pituitary gland. Symptoms typically start to manifest around the age of 13.

Acromegaly may be described as an alternative to gigantism in adulthood. This condition, also a rare one, results from very high growth hormone levels.

Unlike gigantism, acromegaly doesn't lead to increase in height due to the fact that growth plates fuse after puberty. It instead leads to expansion or enlargement of body parts, including the jaw, hands, and feet.

These growth disorders can lead to serious health complications, including death.

Notable Gigantism and Acromegaly Cases

A notable case of tall people with growth disorders is that of Andre Roussimoff. You probably know him by the name "Andre the Giant," if you are a wrestling enthusiast. He originally stood at 7 ft 4 in, but reduced to 7 ft after back surgery. The French professional wrestler had gigantism earlier in life and developed acromegaly as an adult.

Among the other notable cases of tall people believed to have had growth disorders are those of:

Matthew McGrory (known for role in "Big Fish")
Robert Wadlow
Giantess Anna Swan
Irwin Keyes (who appeared on The Jeffersons)
Carel Struycken (who played Lurch in the The Addams Family)
Richard Kiel (Mr. Larson in the movie Happy Gilmore)

Early Deaths Among Tall People

It has been observed that the world's tallest individuals typically die earlier than their shorter peers. This is actually no empty claim. And it appears true regardless of whether a particular tall person has been diagnosed with a growth disorder or not.

For instance, Andre the Giant died at the age of 46, having reportedly refused treatment for his condition. He was said to have died of cardiac complications of acromegaly.

Robert Wadlow, the world's tallest man ever at 8 ft 11 in, passed away at the age of 22. The tallest woman in history, the 8-foot-2 Zhen Jinlian, died at an even younger age of 17.

The 7-foot-7 Manute Bol, one of the tallest players in the history of the NBA, passed at 47 years. One-time Britain's tallest man, Neil Fingleton, who played the role of Mag the Mighty in Games of Thrones, died at the age of 36.

You will observe that the world's tallest people hardly live to old age. Majority do not live beyond 50 years.

Why Do Very Tall People Die Earlier?

Sadly, the same thing that makes world's tallest people famous also increases their risk of early death. The excess growth hormone that resulted in greater heights gives rooms for numerous medical complications. Perhaps, the most notable and worrisome of these is heart failure.

Researchers found in a study that cardiovascular disease in the leading cause of death among adults with too much growth hormone. It was responsible for roughly 60 percent of fatality.

Elevated growth hormone levels produce adverse effects on the heart. They cause the organ to become thicker while the chambers retain their sizes. This makes it harder for the heart to function efficiently and can result in failure.

The cause of Andre the Giant's death was officially said to be heart failure. Experts say this is the most common outcome responsible for deaths among people with excessive growth disorders.

Also, research suggests that taller people are at a greater risk of developing cancer. They typically have more cells that can mutate to become tumors. Their high HGH levels increase the risk all the more.

Researchers working at the Karolinska Institute and the University of Stockholm examined the relationship between height and cancer risk in a long-term study that's the largest of its kind. They assessed 5.5 million people across several decades.

What did they find?

The researchers reported that the risk of developing cancer increases the taller a person is. For every 10cm increase in height, there were 18% and 11% rises in risk of developing cancer in women and men respectively.

Other likely complications from excess growth hormone include:

Carpal tunnel syndrome
Arthritis
Kidney failure
Hypertension
Diabetes mellitus
Liver fibrosis

Will All Tall People Die Early?

While it is true that most of the world's tallest people die early, that doesn't mean you will also if you are very tall. There are actually studies suggesting that such people may have lower risk of heart disease, although there was no consensus of definition of tallness across the studies.

But again, being tall, and without a growth disorder, still requires you to pay utmost attention to your health. Research findings hint that the health risks are still there for tall people without the disorders.

A healthy lifestyle is, therefore, essential for taller people to live long. They need to avoid smoking, do regular exercise, and maintain a healthy diet.

Treatments for Gigantism and Acromegaly

It is good to know that gigantism and acromegaly are actually treatable disorders. There are different options available, although treatment will usually involve the use of more than one.

Medications

Pharmaceuticals such as somatostatin analogues, growth hormone receptors, and dopamine agonists can be used to correct disorders leading to excessive height.

Somatostatin analogues are the primary medical treatment for acromegaly. These synthetic variants of the hormone somatostatin impede the natural production of growth hormone. They also help to shrink tumors prior to surgery. Examples are lanreotide (Somatulin) and octreotide (Sandostatin).

But not everybody can respond properly to somatostatin analogues' use and the drugs may not be appropriate for some. Dopamine agonists can provide a viable alternative in those cases. They also help to lower HGH levels and reduce tumor size.

The drug pegvisomant has been found to be effective for the treatment of gigantism. It helps to reduce the amount of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and decrease growth rates.

Surgery

Surgical procedures are available for faster and more effective treatment of excessive growth. They are mainly in two forms: endonasal transphenoidal surgery and transphenoidal surgery. The former is newer and less invasive. The goal of this treatment is removal of tumors causing excess growth hormone production.

Radiation therapy

Doctors have used this treatment method alone or together with other options to treat excessive growth disorders. It is more common for radiation therapy to be suggested for those with remnant tumors after surgery. Estimate has it that it reduces HGH levels by about half in 2-5 years.

Doctors used a form of radiation therapy called Gamma Knife radiosurgery to successfully stop acromegaly in Sultan Kosen. The Turk is currently the world’s tallest living man at almost 8 feet 3 inches.

Watch Synthetic HGH Use

Usually, when people are having medical issues due to low HGH levels, doctors do recommend HGH injections. These involve the use of a synthetic, structurally similar variant of the hormone naturally produced in the body. People who are shorter than ideal height for age are among those who get these injections.

But it is no longer a secret that growth hormone has numerous benefits. Some use it to fight aging while some others use it to build muscle mass.

The off-label uses of this hormone are illegal. Yet, these HGH injections are quite costly. Worse still, their use exposes you to awful side effects, including acromegaly and heart failure.

It is better to use quality, natural HGH supplements such as Genf20 Plus and HGF Max when only interested in mainly esthetic benefits. However, if you wish to use growth hormone for height increase, Growth Factor Plus may be a better, safer, and less expensive option.

Conclusion

Growth hormone plays a crucial role in the determination of a person's height. However, its production needs to be kept under control. Failure to do that can have grave consequences. The life experiences of some famous tall individuals, such as the ones we mentioned here, provide evidences of that.

Height was helpful to some of these tall people in that it brought them into the limelight in one way or another. But ultimately the mechanism responsible for it led to unpleasant consequences for some, including those that failed to seek treatment.

If you feel you must boost your HGH levels for non-medical reasons, you may need to opt for HGH supplements like Growth Factor Plus rather than injections. Those natural offerings can help to prevent excessive growth disorders and other complications.

=>Grow Taller With Growth Factor Plus Or Your Money Back!<=

REFERENCES

Acromegaly - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acromegaly)

Gigantism - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantism)

Gigantism And Acromegaly Explained: Why Taller People Can Die Earlier Than Most (https://www.medicaldaily.com/gigantism-acromegaly-why-tall-people-die-374890)

Why Do Giant People Die So Young? (https://gizmodo.com/why-do-giant-people-die-so-young-1792820899)

Tall people have greater cancer risk – and growth hormones could be to blame - Mirror Online (https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/tall-people-greater-cancer-risk-6557762)