Dubai: Parents seeking to bring up a basketball player, known for their towering height, are reminded to feed their children well as diet has a profound effect on their growth.

A study by T. Paul Schultz at Yale University in 2002 compared children of similar socio-economic status from Ghana, Brazil and the United States, using height as an indicator for good nutrition. It found that children whose nutrition needs are met fulfilled their genetic potential for height as they grew up. Subsequent tracking by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found the trend reflected in other countries.

Howard Parsons, head of paediatrics at Shaikh Khalifa Medical City, told Gulf News after the Paediatric Medical Nutrition Conference that it was not impractical to imagine a basketball player emerging somewhere down the line in the UAE. "Basketball players can come from anywhere if they continue to eat right. Asians are catching up in height (to Europeans) as well," he said.

The tallest basketball player in the world is Yao Ming from China, who towers at 2.26 metres. Parsons stressed the need for good nutrition for children from the start.

Formula: Potential height

To calculate the child's genetic potential, follow this formula. For a girl, add the parents' height in cm, subtract 13cm and divide the total by two. For a boy, add the parents' height in cm, plus 13cm and divide the total by two.