Dutch are the tallest people in the world

[Joey_Ramone]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...=2027&e=1&u=/chitribts/myhowthedutchhavegrown

...At the end of World War II, the average American male was nearly 5 foot 10, while the average Dutchman measured little more than 5 foot 7. But starting in the 1950s, the Dutch began shooting up, an average of almost an inch per decade, to the point that the average height for an adult Dutch male today is just under 6 foot 1.

A new survey that measured 10,000 Dutch schoolchildren confirms their status as the world's tallest and suggests that the growth trend will keep up for at least a decade. Scandinavians and other Northern Europeans experienced similar growth spurts. So have the once-short Japanese.

During the same period, Americans expanded horizontally but not vertically. The average height of the American male today is stuck at 5 feet 9 1/2 inches. U.S. women have actually lost a third of an inch and are on average slightly over 5 foot 4...

 

[Perfection]

Dammit, the Dutch are getting a little too good.

I say we nuke 'em

 

[LLXerxes]

Yeh, so...

 

[Xen]

just a sign of better nutrition in both europe and japan, and worse nutrition in the states (due more then likelly, to fast and frozen foods)

 

[The Last Conformist]

There was another thread about this a while ago.

So the Dutch are set to reach a (male) average height of at least 6'2"? I might yet get to visit a country where I'm short ...

 

[Syterion]

Wow, average Dutch man is 6 inches taller than me!

 

[Warman17]

erm....that could be taken uin 2 ways syterion >_>

 

[Adso de Fimnu]

I wonder whether the 'average' American height is affected by our larger immigration rate, mainly from SE Asia and Latin America - most people I know of those ethnicities are rather short. In Iowa, people are taller, thanks to the large population of German and Scandinavian descent: at my school the average male is near six feet (I myself am a bit shorter, five feet nine inches).

 

[Hundegesicht]

Where I lived in Minnesota it was uncommon for anyone other than women to be under 6'.(my sister is 5' 10", taller than the average American male) I would say the reason Americans haven't grown in comparison to Europe is because of the large latin American community.

 

[SeleucusNicator]

Where I lived in Minnesota it was uncommon for anyone other than women to be under 6'.(my sister is 5' 10", taller than the average American male) I would say the reason Americans haven't grown in comparison to Europe is because of the large latin American community.

The vast majority of the residents of Minnesota are of Germanic descent. It appears that most Germanic peoples are just naturally tall, except not the British for some reason.

 

[Theige]

Yea I think it definately has to do with the large latin american population. I bet the average for latin american males in the US is like 5' 6" or so. Considering there is like 40 million of them, (which is way more alone than in the Netherlands or any Scandinavian country) that can bring down the average somewhat

 

[Syterion]

erm....that could be taken uin 2 ways syterion >_>

I don't understand. PM me about what you are talking about.

 

[eq1]

I'm not surprised.
I am a canadian who moved to holland a few years ago and it was my first observation that everyone here is really tall. I am 6'2" myself and found myself at parties or bars surrounded by people way taller - something that has never happened before to that extent. The same applies to the women. My girlfriend is 6' even and is by no means considered above normal height.

 

[Joey_Ramone]

just a sign of better nutrition in both europe and japan, and worse nutrition in the states (due more then likelly, to fast and frozen foods)

Perhaps. But the US has also had a lot of immigration from Asian countries and Mexico where the population is shorter. I do think genetics has something to do with it. Even in the US, Dutch and others of similar stock tend to be taller than Italians, Irish and other races.

 

[storealex]

when will we stop growing?
________
IPAD GUIDES

 

[Hundegesicht]

As soon as it stops being healthy... for instance, people over 7 feet generally suffer from more heart related conditions (and other things resulting from being so enormous) and die sooner. The sooner you die=less reproduction=less people to carry on your tall genes.

BTW: height is about 90% genetics. assuming the average American male is 70 inches (5' 10") that'd mean about 7" can be accounted for good or bad diet.

 

[Mise]

The sooner you die=less reproduction=less people to carry on your tall genes.

Huh? Unless they die at the age of 25, I doubt they'd have much trouble reproducing...

 

[Adso de Fimnu]

Somehow I doubt taller people have trouble passing on their genes. Oh, the girls are always looking for the "tall, dark, and handsome" type. Why can't they prefer the "moderately-short, pale, and not-quite-ugly-but-certainly-not-particularly-attractive type"?

 

[Hundegesicht]

I mean the freakishly tall people... 7' 4" and over. Girls aren't that attracted to fellows who have permenant bruises on their foreheads. (from hitting door frames...) Granted, some of the athletes might get a chance to reproduce, but most of them, if they're not already wheelchair ridden by the time they're 20 (their legs just can't support their own bulk... especially around the feet) will suffer from the same social and medical problems as obese people. The only difference is obesity isn't genetic in most cases, so they have no problems propagating their ranks with new converts while giants have to make their own.

 

[Mise]

BTW, how come I'm like way taller than both my parents if it's 90% genetic? Surely I should only be 10% taller?