What is the Average Height for Men in the US, and What Are the Factors Influencing It?

The average height for men differs from country to country, as there are several factors that determine growth.

More often than not, people tend to think that height is a fixed trait determined by DNA. However, studies have shown that many other factors play an important role in determining the average height of men. These include medical conditions, environment, hormones, nutrition, and physical activity.

In this article, we will discuss the average height for men in the U.S.A. along with identifying the factors that influence the average height for men. However, it's important to note that while average height for men can provide a useful benchmark for understanding height trends, it's not an absolute measure of health or well-being.

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What Is the Average Height for Men in the U.S.A.?

The average height for American men is about five feet and nine inches. This is about 69.1 inches or 175.4 centimeters. That's according to data published in 2018 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study was carried out between 2015 and 2016 to note the average height for american men.

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Factors Influencing Average Male Height

Here are several factors that influence the average height of men, including:

1) Hormones

Hormones and height. (Image via Unsplash/ Toa Heftiba)

There are about three growth hormones in the body that promote height growth: growth hormones, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones.

The pituitary glands promote the production of growth hormones. Sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone can also have a significant impact on growth development during puberty. The thyroid hormones are responsible for production of growth hormones.

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2) Nutrition

Average height for men (Image via Pexels/Mary Taylor)

Poor food quality adversely affects height due to the lack of sufficient nutrition. Adequate nutrition is very important in overall fitness. When kids do not get proper nutrition, they might not have the average height for men when they grow old. Additionally, if proper nutrition is not taken during pregnancy, that can lead to growth and developmental issues in the child.

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3) DNA

Dna and it's correlation to height. (Image via Pexels/ Warren Umoh)

DNA is one of the primary factors that influences height. It's primarily a process where genes of physical traits are passed from parents to their progeny. DNA not only affects height but also all other physical traits like hair color, intelligence, weight, and body shape.

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4) Physical Activity

Physical activity is a must to increase your height and overall fitness. (Image via Unsplash/ Chander R)

Physical activity hugely impacts the average height for men. To increase your height, it's important to follow an active lifestyle that can help in building bone mass and muscles. Research has shown that human height is greater in countries where sports are highly popular and practiced.

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5) Environment

Environmental factors that determine height. (Image via Pexels/ Lukas Rychvalsky)

The environment is also one of the factors that affect the average height for men. These range from physical, social, economic, and emotional. Children who're raised in poor environmental conditions tend to be less tall.

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How Can You Increase Your Height During Puberty?

There are several factors that affect the average height of men, such as DNA, that you cannot control. However, there are certain factors that can contribute towards height growth during puberty, including:

Ensure good nutrition – Ensuring that you get enough nutrition is one of the contributing factors to increasing height. Calcium and protein are especially very important during puberty. Foods containing them include meat, eggs, legumes, seafood, poultry, and meat.

Get regular exercise – Keeping the body physically active is important to increase height during puberty, as it helps in the proper physical development along with making the bones healthier.

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The common misconception that height is predetermined based on DNA and genes is not completely true. That's because there're several factors that contribute towards height growth in puberty. These include the environment, nutrition, hormones, physical activity, and others. Even gender impacts height. Additionally, the average height for men is just one factor that contributes to overall physical appearance and is not necessarily an indicator of attractiveness or success.