How the Dutch became the tallest nation on Earth
The Dutch have seen a significant increase in average height over 200 years due to improved living conditions and nutrition. Taller individuals have lower mortality risk, but extremely tall people may face higher risks like cancer. Understanding height trends helps in healthcare.
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The Dutch have become the tallest nation on Earth, with the average Dutch man growing from 166 cm in 1810 to 184 cm today. This remarkable increase in height over the past 200 years is attributed to improvements in living standards, including reduced mortality rates, better access to food, and overall health enhancements. Nutrition plays a crucial role in determining height, with factors like illness, stress, and manual labor affecting growth. Taller individuals today generally have a lower risk of death, but extremely tall people face a slightly higher risk, possibly due to increased cell divisions and cancer-related mortality. Historical data shows that taller individuals tended to die at younger ages, likely due to higher calorie requirements and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. The study of height trends not only sheds light on past populations but also has implications for healthcare today, especially in understanding factors influencing growth patterns in modern societies.
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2 commentsArticle has a nice "average height by nation & decade" chart...but makes no mention of how Dutch height trends seems to march in lockstep with neighboring countries in some periods, but strongly diverge in others. And no mention of the grim WWII Dutch Hongerwinter ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_famine_of_1944%E2%80%931... ), nor of the direct, epigenetic, and cultural effects it obviously had.
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