A select group of people have always been taller than the average, potentially due to a combination of rare diseases or genetic factors combined with diet. One such individual is Robert Wadlow, who stands as the tallest person in history at 2.72 meters before his death at 22 years old in 1940. His height exceeded the current average height of men in the US, which is 1.75 meters. However, like most giant individuals, his large size was a result of a medical syndrome, according to Live Science.
Professor Márta Korbonits, an endocrinology professor at Queen Mary University of London, stated that most giant patients have growth hormone problems. The main cause of gigantism is usually elevated levels of growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain, often caused by a benign tumor. Modern medical advancements have made it less likely for someone to reach the extreme height of Wadlow due to the ability to remove tumors and stop excessive growth with medication. Gigantism and tumors can threaten human health.
Other conditions can also make people unusually tall, such as Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that can result in longer bone growth. Some individuals may have incredibly tall heights without any medical syndrome, like Bao Xishun, who stood at 2.36 meters and was previously known as the tallest person in the world. Genetic variations and environmental factors like diet and lifestyle can influence a person’s height. Tall individuals have likely always existed, with one of the oldest cases of gigantism found in ancient Egyptians pharaohs who stood at 1.87 meters tall before their deaths from natural causes or accidents while building their tombs or temples.
Research conducted by Korbonits found that many tall Irish individuals had inherited a genetic mutation from a person who lived over two millennia ago, suggesting a genetic component to tall stature.
Genetics and environmental factors play a role in determining a person’s height; populations generally become taller over time as civilizations advance due to better nutrition and living conditions.
Some remains from Gravettian culture exhibit different heights among its hunters around 29000 years ago; some were exceptionally tall potential giants inspiring legends about them.
Tall individuals were common during late part Gravettian period in France and Moravia reaching heights similar to modern industrial nations only achieved mid-20th century.
The physical characteristics of early Late Paleolithic hunters are believed to be influenced by low population density and an abundance of large mammals like mammoths; however researchers are unsure whether these taller remains represent general population or not
