Scientists have discovered the receptor in the human brain that is responsible for people growing taller and reaching puberty earlier than ever. Scientists have discovered that a receptor in the human brain is responsible for people getting taller and reaching puberty earlier than ever, according to a new study.
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 Daily Mail reported.
The melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3R) system controls the release of certain hormones that regulate growth and sexual maturation in response to certain nutritional signals. The researchers found that when the receptor does not work properly, people are shorter in height and went into puberty later. During the 20th century, the average height of a person in the UK increased 3.9 inches (10 centimeters), while around the world it jumped 7.8 inches (20cm) in some countries.
The average height of a man in the US and UK are approximately 5'9,' while women are slightly taller on average in the US, at 5'4' versus 5'3' in the UK. The discovery could lead to drugs to build up muscle mass and boost delayed growth, researchers believe.
The researchers found that when the receptor does not work properly, people are shorter in height and went into puberty later.
Of the 500,000 people who were tested for the study, 'a few thousand' had mutations on the MC3R gene, including 812 women, who went into puberty, on average, 4.7 months later than those without the mutation.
People with MC3R mutations also had lower amounts of lean tissue, but there was no impact based on how much fat they carried.
"This discovery shows how the brain can sense nutrients and interpret this to make subconscious decisions that influence our growth and sexual development," University of Cambridge professor Sir Stephen O'Rahilly and study co-author said in a statement.
