Most of the genetic data available is from people of European ancestry, so genome-wide studies don't capture the wide range of ancestral diversity across the globe. While this study has a large number of participants from non-European ancestries compared to previous studies, the researchers emphasise the need for more diversity in genomic research. The research also provides a valuable blueprint on how it could be possible to use genome-wide studies to identify a disease's biology and subsequently its hereditary components. The study's findings could help doctors to identify people who are not able to reach their genetically predicted height, which may then aid in the diagnosis of hidden diseases or conditions that may be stunting their growth or impacting their health. The findings show that genetic variants associated with height are concentrated in regions covering just over 20% of the genome. The unprecedented scale of the research provides new levels of detail and biological insight as to why people are tall or short, with heritability being linked to various specific genomic regions. Previously, the largest genome-wide association study looking at height used a sample size of up to 700,000 individuals, the current sample is about seven times more than previous studies. Growth from a small baby into an adult, and the role genetics play in this, have traditionally been a complex and poorly understood area of human biology. The variants identified explain 40% of the variation in height for people of European ancestry, and around 10-20% for those of non-European ancestry.Īdult height is mostly determined by the information encoded in our DNA - children from tall parents tend to be taller and those from short parents are shorter, but these estimates aren't perfect. The 12,111 variants, which cluster around parts of the genome associated with skeletal growth, provide a powerful genetic predictor for height.
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