A Ukrainian man is the tallest person in the world at 8 feet 5 inches, overshadowing a Chinese man who previously held the title, Guinness World Records said Wednesday.
Leonid Stadnik, a 37-year-old former veterinarian, is 8 inches taller than the former titleholder, China`s Bao Xishun, who measured 7 feet 9 inches, Guinness World Records spokeswoman Amarilis Espinoza said in London.
Stadnik`s growth spurt started at age 14 after a brain operation apparently stimulated his pituitary gland, which produces the human growth hormone.
He lives with his mother, Halyna, in northwestern Ukraine, taking care of the family`s house and garden.
According to Guiness, the tallest man in medical history was Illinois native Robert Pershing Wadlow, who was 8 feet 11 inches and died in 1940 at the age of 22.
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