How and why do people shrink when they age?
Their bones start to become brittle and compressed, thats why its important aging people take calcium supplements or receive adequate calcium in their diet. It contradicts itself thought, since elderly people’s kidneys start to become less active (usually after age 50) and when they cant function to excrete the calcium properly, it builds up, which can lead to kidney stones. So there’s a fine line with the elderly between receiving enough yet not too much calcium. Its more common in women (due to dramatic decrease of hormonal production after menopause), yet men are more prone to kidney stones. Also, if you’ve ever seen an elderly person with their back “humped” this causes them to appear shorter. Their spines begin to form that way due to vertebrae/cartilidge/muscular deterioration. Unless there’s some strange underlying condition, nobody will just begin to “shrink” while they’re still young. These days, it doesn’t happen to most people until their late 70s.
