A new study has revealed that scientists have discovered that people get taller and reach puberty sooner than ever before because of a receptor found in the brain.
The researchers — including those from University of Cambridge, Queen Mary University of London, University of Bristol, University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University — found that the MC3R receptor, located in hypothalamic neurons, control people’s reproduction and growth.
The melanocortin 3 receptor system (MC3R), controls the release and metabolism of hormones that regulate growth, sexual maturation, and response to nutritional signals.
Researchers discovered that people who lack the receptor function properly are shorter and go into puberty later.
The average height of an individual in the U.K. grew 3.9 inches (10cm) during the 20th Century, while it increased 7.8 inches (20cm in some countries) around the world.
Scientists have discovered a brain receptor that is responsible for taller people and earlier puberty.
The MC3R receptor, found in hypothalamic neurons, controls people’s reproduction.
The average height of a U.S. man is approximately 5’9′, while U.K. women are slightly taller at 5’4′, compared to 5’3′ in U.K.
Researchers believe that the discovery could lead to drugs that can increase muscle mass and speed up delayed growth.
Researchers discovered that people who lack the receptor function properly are shorter and go into puberty later.
The study involved testing 500,000 people. Among them, ‘a few thousand had mutations in the MC3R gene. 812 women were among those who had the mutation and went into puberty on average 4.7 months later than those who did not.
People with MC3R mutations had lower amounts of lean tissue. However, this was not related to how much fat they possessed.
People with MC3R variants also had lower amounts in lean tissue, but this did not correlate with how much fat they possessed.
Six children with MC3R mutations were found in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. They were all shorter and had less lean mass than their peers who had no mutation.
One person had mutations in both genes. The person was’very short,’ and entered puberty after age 20.
Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly from the University of Cambridge and co-author of the study said that this discovery showed how the brain can sense nutrients to make subconscious decisions that affect our growth and sexual development.
“Identifying the pathway in brain that nutrition turns into growth and puberty is what explains the global phenomenon of increasing height, and decreasing age at puberty. This phenomenon has puzzled scientists for over a century.
Researchers believe that the discovery could lead to drugs that can increase muscle mass and speed up delayed growth.
Researchers believe that the discovery could lead to drugs that can increase muscle mass and speed up delayed growth.
‘Our findings have immediate practical implications for the testing of children with serious delays in growth and pubertal development for mutations in the MC3R,’ O’Rahilly added.
“This research may have more implications than just child development and reproductive healthcare. Many chronic diseases are associated to loss of lean mass, including muscle. This can lead to frailty.
“This is a poor response to simple nutritional supplements, such as protein-rich liquids.
“The fact that the activity in the MC3R pathway can influence the amount of lean body mass a person carries suggests that future research should examine if drugs that selectively activate MC3R might redirect calories into lean tissue with the potential to improve the physical functional of such patients.
The study was published on Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature.