According to scientific research done by Molecular biologist Chao-Qiang Lai of Tufts University, genetics can determine up to 80 percent of an individual’s height, whereas 20 to 40 percent can be attributed to environmental factors; nutrition in particular.

This is a popular topic, and thus many studies have estimated the heritability of human height. Often, these analyses determine heritability by estimating the extent of similarity between relatives.

However, taking into account the variables of environment, genetic factors and ethnic populations, height heritability can fluctuate from one society to another, and even from men to women.

The Heritability concept lets us explore the role genetics play in an individual’s height and the direct influence that genes have on this physical trait. Heritability can also be used to predict a person’s height if the height of both parents is known. Of course, these predictions only reflect the mean estimated height for the person and involve a margin of error, thus the actual height may be different.

From this information, we find that the environment, and factors such as nutrition,  can only change a few centimetres, approximately, for a given offspring’s height. Does that mean that no matter what happens in the child’s environment, the height can never change more than this? Not necessarily, because unique remedies and strategies and nutritional supplements such as protein, calcium and specific growth- related vitamins increase the height further. The most important nutrient for final height is protein in childhood. Minerals such as calcium, and vitamins A and D also influence height. Knowing this, we can understand why malnutrition in childhood is detrimental to height. Thus, adequate nutrition before puberty is crucial for obtaining the maximum height that one’s genetics and environment allow.

In developed countries, nutrition for childhood development is strong, which maximizes the genetic potential for height assuming no mutations. Thus, the overall heritability estimates tend to be higher, i.e., closer to the 80 percent figure mentioned at the beginning of the article. In contrast, in developing countries, nutrition deficits lead to a lower heritability.

So if you’ve drawn the short straw when it comes to your height, Altitude Shoes can add inches to your height instantly with no one ever knowing if you are wearing height shoes, or if you have been blessed with ideal genetics and an environment conducive to height!

Research shows that Altitude Shoes look AND feel better than wooden stools, and they also last longer!

Rumour has it that the short French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has banned tall bodyguards from protecting him, even though they have an advantage in spotting threats in a large crowd. You can read the full artice here

The newspaper ‘Le Parisien’ was told that hiring “supermen” served no purpose since large bodyguards were more unlikely to be challenged.

Like most short men, President Sarkozy is sensitive about his height as he stands at approximately 5‘5″ - Dustin Hoffman and Phil Collins are among many other famous individuals who stood at around the 5’5″ mark.

His wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is 5’10″ and for men who are sensitive about their height, the only thing worse than being short is having your partner be taller than you.

Interestingly, the President has been suspected to wear height shoes to add those crucial inches to his height in order to increase his confidence and charisma when addressing other world leaders and the French population. Although if he doesn’t wear height shoes, he certainly should! Height shoes are the best solution for increasing your height naturally, and it doesn’t matter if you are a businessman, doctor, or the President. This explains why Altitude Shoes was recommended in the press as an excellent choice for successful people.

The article states that President Sarkozy has apparently organised for a small number of industrial employees to appear beside him for an extraordinary reason - because they are shorter than him, hence, standing next to them would make the President appear taller. Once this was known to the media, journalists, artists and cartoonists were given the rope to ridicule Mr Sarkozy even more than they did previously.

At Altitude Shoes, we understand that you want discreet inches added to your height. Rest assured, our elevator shoes look like standard, high quality stylish footwear thanks to our magic element - the hidden sole.

We know that much of our height can be attributed to genetics, but what about geography? Let’s take a look at some averages of height numbers around the world:

In Latin America, males measured an average height of 167cm and females scored 156cm. Argentina had the tallest subjects, while Peru had the shortest of the sample nations.

In Africa, males were approximately 168cm tall on average and females were 158cm. The tallest nation was Cameroon and the shortest numbers came from Nigeria.

European males were 179cm on average, while females were 166cm. Netherlands had the tallest men at a height of 184cm, and the tallest women who measured 168cm on average.

In Asia, males were an average of 166cm tall, and females scored an average of 155cm. China and South Korea claimed the tallest subjects with males of both countries standing at 173cm and females being 163cm and 15cm tall respectively.

The English- speaking nations of Australia, North America, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom all had identical results. The males were an average of 177cm tall, and the females were 164cm tall. The US and Canada had the tallest and shortest subjects respectively, which only differed by an inch or two.

It’s no wonder that we have such a wide array of customers… there are short people in every country. But interestingly enough, we have not seen more Asian customers than white customers or more Latin American clients than European.

Nonetheless, when we compare these statistics with our client base, it explains a lot! Men from all over the world log onto our site every day to purchase height increasing shoes, improving their lives and themselves.

Have you ever considered how far footwear has come since ancient times? Footwear has evolved from protective sandals (purely serving a survival purpose) to aesthetically appealing (even flashy in some labels), offering even more protection than before - which is especially the case for high quality footwear anyway.

We all understand how important shoes are, most of us even reward ourselves with a great pair after the tough period at work that has finally paid off. Interestingly however, the function and purpose of shoes goes far beyond looking good as a fashion accessory - while this is, of course, also important to us at Altitude Shoes.

People judge you and make assumptions about you based on how you look and dress. There are two ways to take this advice: complain about how unfair it is to judge, or accept the reality of it, take pride in your appearance and look good as a result.

Since you have found this site and want shoes that look and feel good, you are most probably the latter; the type of guy who people look at and respect because they see a man who obviously respects himself.

Shoes can also provide a confidence boost. Think of a teenage basketball player who buys the same shoes Michael Jordan wore, or a soccer player with the same boots David Beckham wears - these are huge confidence boosters. The same concept applies off the sporting field and into social, academic or professional situations. The right shoes will make you feel amazing at a party, in a meeting or in a job interview.

Lastly, humans are active creatures and when you couple this with the hard surfaces we are required to walk on, safety and protection become relevant

issues in the importance of footwear. Imagine walking on hard, uneven surfaces all day in a bad pair of shoes, even softer surfaces such as grass or carpet have specific risks such as broken glass. When considering this, you owe it to yourself to choose high quality footwear over poorer quality footwear (which you would have to replace so many times that it ends up being more expensive than the high quality footwear you would only have to purchase once).

Here at Altitude Shoes, we know this, so when we design our footwear, durability is just as important to us as comfort and appearance.

Physiology is an important component of Altitude Shoes technology, so we have spent quite some time studying the anatomy and function of the foot. As a result, we have not only designed footwear based on science on the cutting edge, we have also discovered:

• Some interesting facts about feet
• What you can do to take better care of your feet
• Why high quality footwear is so important

Your feet are more important than you probably think - in fact, 52 of the body’s 206 bones are located in the feet! And since the average person walks 10,000 steps a day, it is worth investing in some knowledge about how to take better care of your feet.

With over a quarter of a million sweat glands each, your feet generate more perspiration than most other body parts. How much exactly? The foot sweats a cup (sometimes more) of moisture every day. This explains why we all have that friend/ brother/ uncle who can single-handedly clear out a room by taking his shoes off to relax!

Sweat, at its most basic chemical level is primarily salt and water. This is why when athletes perspire; sports drinks such as Gatorade are superior to most other forms of hydration - because while plain water re-hydrates the body, it does not restore depleted sodium stores.

Now of course, there is nothing wrong with sweating - it is a natural bodily function. So why do our feet differ so much to other body parts that sweat, such as our hands? Because the sweat from our feet cannot evaporate and escape into the atmosphere through the thick material of a sock and shoe.

Basic tips for hygiene and foot care include using strong anti- bacterial soap, wearing clean socks and letting your shoes air out for at least a day before wearing them again.

Well- ventilated shoes, cotton (or other absorbent material) socks and deodorant are also great accessories for your feet.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this Article - The Importance of Footwear.

There are literally hundreds of famous individuals who have disproved the theory that being short impedes success. Take a look at some names below of successful musicians, actors and performing artists - all of whom were under 5′5″.

·         At 5′4″, Ludwig van Beethoven made it to the top as a composer in his time. He was famous for being a pianist of great fantasy and spirit, admired in particular for his amazing improvisations.

·         At 5′5″ Phil Collins’ height proved to be no barrier to success. He was a true master in his field, dominating the rock ‘n’ roll and jazz scenes among many other achievements.

·         Danny Devito is an outstanding example of a successful man. Standing at 5′ 0″ the actor turned director has put his name next to leading roles of many big budget hollywood films, going on to producing a few of his own including Pulp Fiction. Not bad for a guy 5 feet tall.

·         At 5′3″, Jermaine Dupri still achieved enormous success as an American record producer and rapper. Starting out as a teenage break-dancer, Dupri founded his own label and became the president and CEO of So So Def Records.

·         ‘Back to the Future’ star Michael J. Fox was 5′4″ tall and became a household name after earning his reputation as a talented actor in his home country of Canada. He eventually moved to Los Angeles where he took advantage of bigger and better acting prospects, despite some hiccups in his success.

·         Pablo Ruiz Picasso was an artist of the early 20^th century whose work remains famous today. Picasso was 5’4”, regarded as a boy genius, he and his art inspired many 20^th century movements.

·         At 5′5″, Dustin Hoffman was a pioneer in Hollywood’s use of average- looking actors. What he lacked in height, he made up for with charisma and explosive presence on set leading to his acquisition of Academy and Best Actor awards.

Being short is clearly no barrier to success, but being taller opens even more doors. Imagine if these

gentlemen had the opportunities we have today to increase their height.

Altitude Shoes was born when I wanted more height and realised what it took to do just that. Being insecure about my height had proven to be a long-term drawback in my endeavours so I set out to get this area of my life handled.

I wanted to be taller. I tried insoles, but they weren’t always fitted well with the shoes that I liked or found fashionable. I wanted high quality, height shoes that not only looked good and fit comfortably, but discreetly added inches to my height as well.

After doing some research and discovering the industry of height shoes and elevator shoes, I started wearing height shoes and noticed a difference in the way people interacted with me, particularly people I felt intimidated by prior to having this newfound height and confidence. Unfortunately, however, I was also a victim of poor quality products that tore apart… and of poor style. I felt uncomfortable and some shoes even had the height increasing mechanism advertised so obviously exposed that people could tell I was wearing elevator shoes.

Instead of risking more disappointment and wasting more money, I took the time and effort to design my own catalogue of height increasing shoes, with careful detail paid to aesthetic appeal, comfort and using quality material such as leather. This eventually grew to become ‘Altitude Shoes’. Since our launch, Altitude Shoes has continued to evolve in style and structure of its shoes. We invest a LOT into production and a little into marketing, so that our customers get the best results.

Today, Altitude Shoes is the best and most reliable manufacturer of high quality height- increasing footwear for men and is continually growing on a daily basis with an ever- increasing client base. This comes to no surprise to us as we strive to provide exceptional service and support to our customers, and we believe it is this attitude that places us at the forefront of the footwear industry.