Scientists involved in an international study have identified more than 400 genome regions that are involved in determining a person’s height. The study also discovered that more than half of these genetic factors are explained by common genetic variation that exists in more than one in 10 individuals.

Human height is a quantitative characteristic, and is controlled by a variety of genes and environmental factors. Various studies have estimated the heritability of human height.

The study involved more than 450 experts from all over the globe, and formed the GIANT consortium. The researchers analyzed more than two million common genetic factors, and discovered 697 genetic variants in 424 genome regions that are associated with height.

Lead study author Dr. Andrew Wood, of the University of Exeter Medical School, says that recent advancements in technology have provided scientists with access to much larger pools of DNA information, which are helping to shed greater light on height.

“Our findings have helped to identify a large proportion of the genetic architecture that contributes to determining our height. We know that as a population we have become taller over the last few generations, because of factors including improved nutrition. But more than 80 per cent of the factors in height variation are known to be down to genetics, with the rest caused by environmental factors,” said Wood in a statement.

The findings of the study are published in Nature Genetics.