Why do shorter people go through puberty so quickly?

[Cats123]

I've noticed that people who are shorter usually start puberty a bit earlier than usual, and go through it faster. And I've noticed that taller people tend to start later, or just go through it slower. Sure some people don't follow this, it's just a correlation.

[Flapjack]

Maybe the hormones are more concentrated in shorted people?

[rioo]

haha, you are right man. I still have my picture in scouts uniform when I was 12, and I'm taller than other boys, but now they all growing same like me.

[Dalcourt]

I've noticed that people who are shorter usually start puberty a bit earlier than usual, and go through it faster. And I've noticed that taller people tend to start later, or just go through it slower. Sure some people don't follow this, it's just a correlation.

I'm very short and I started very late...I haven't really paid attention to how it is/was for my friends...but it's kinda interesting. I think I'll pay attention to that now.

[jamie_n5]

Well I am 6'1" and I started at 11 and am now 17 and feel that I am done. That kind of blows your theory. I have been taller than my peers since 4th grade and still am in the taller group of my class.

[Cats123]

Oh okay guys so the theory is a little flawed. All I know is the shortest guy in my grade, had a full beard in 8th grade.

[zzzzzzzzzz]

I was "a bit heavier" (OK overweight) when younger, and started early. It' almost as if reaching a certain weight level triggers it too

[Jay21]

One of my friends who is a year older than me started puberty early (don't know whn exactly) and now he is well over 6' tall whereas I started late (around 14/15) and I am average height at best, albeit not done growing yet

[The Socialist]

Yeah I understand what you mean. I'm 5'2 and I started puberty at 11-12 and I feel like I'm finished at 16.

[Hermes]

Are you are talking about final height, not height at the point of starting puberty, ie. people whose final height is a bit shorter than average are often the ones than start puberty early?

If so, then as far as I know the explanation is that we tend to grow by a reasonably constant amount during the growth spurt during puberty and then stop growing. Those who start puberty later have had longer to grow at the slower, pre-pubertal rate.

So, to illustrate this, one reference I found suggested growth in childhood, after the very early years, was 5cm/year and peak during puberty was about twice that at 10cm/year. Let's say a boy is 150cm tall at 11, grows at the 5cm/year rate for another two years, then grows at 10cm/year for two years and then stops he would end up at 150 + (2*5) (10*2) = 180cm (about 6'). If he started puberty a year earlier so that fast growth was from 12-14 instead of from 13-15 he'd have only 1 year growing at 5/cm and the calculation becomes 150 + (1*5) + (2*10) = 175cm (about 5'8").

[Skylark]

I've never noticed this in me or any of my classmates. Generally in my school tall people started early and short people started late or haven't started at all. I started at 10 (which by general consensus is early) and I'm 5' 10", with similar starting ages (appropriated) and heights in my classmates.

[volleyballer13]

yeah i dont know if i believe your theory. im 6'7" and have always been taller than my peers and started puberty early/around the same time as most of my peers.

[Cats123]

Well I mean I started puberty at like 12, or maybe even 11.5, and I was 5'0". Then I hit a growth spurt at 12.5 of 6 inches or so. I went through the entire 3rd stage of puberty in like half a year, though it usually lasts 2. After that I grew like an inch which leaves me at 5'7" at 16. I took the tanner stage quiz thing and got 5. My predicted height was 6'0", and throughout my childhood I was average height but typically taller than some of my close friends. Then at 13 I was taller than all my friends. Now at 16, I'm shorter than almost everyone I used to be taller than. I wonder if going through puberty so quickly is the reason I am short, or perhaps I was meant to be short in my DNA so my body figured it would just ease through puberty real quick. Oh well, I'm almost taller than my mom like half an inch. She's 5'8" and dad is 5'11. They both told me they were done growing like at 14, so perhaps the double earliness of puberty combined and made me go through so quick? Idk my sisters are 5'0" and 5'5.5". Perhaps :lol:

[Biomicro]

maybe those homones in that people is quite active