Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and this degenerative joint disease found mostly among older people, primarily affects cartilage. Athough it can’t be avoided through age, preventing it from taking place earlier in life is possible. A study conducted has discovered that shorter people are more prone to arthritis. According to the researchers a variety of factors that include genetics, prenatal environment and diet, work in coherence to determine how tall someone grows. It was predicted that genetic variants that reduce production of the GDF5 protein may affect the amount of cartilage in the spine, the proportion of limbs and/or the angles of joints, resulting in both a modest decrease in height and increased susceptibility to osteoarthritis. Knowing more about factors that can give way to osteoarthritis is one way help prevent it from taking place.