Is the average height of human beings growing steadily?

ByDaniel M Viero

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications statistical office is developingGeneral window of government statisticsHas published,Heisei 20-year National Health and Nutrition Survey, The average height of Japanese men over 20 years old is 167.2 cm, and the female is 153.9 cm. This average height is growing year by year, and it seems that average heights are increasing not only in Japan but also in countries all over the world. The BBC in the UK explains where the cause is.

BBC - Future - Will humans keep getting taller?
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150513-will-humans-keep-getting-taller

Humanity has undergone major changes in the last century and a half. The world population has increased from about 1 billion to over 7 billion people, and in developed countries the average life expectancy has increased from 45 years old (mid 1800 's) to 80 years old. And, as a matter of fact, the average height is more than 10 cm in developed countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, etc. as a change of appearance. Among them, the Netherlands has the highest average height increase in the past 150 years. Currently the average height of young people in the Netherlands is 184 cm for men and 170 cm for women, each with an average height of 19 cm higher than 150 years ago.

"This is just a good figure to surprise people," said John Komurosu, emeritus professor of economic history at the University of Munich. "Why do humans increase the average height with time?" "Why is the average height of the Dutch especially increased?" "How much does average growth in height be a sign?" To that question Professor Kolomus replied.

ByChristine Cavalier

In order to investigate how the average height and average weight in the population change due to the economic situation and social situation, Mr. Colomus uses body data such as height and weight of soldiers that the US military had kept accumulating We conducted an analysis. As a result of the analysis survey, it has been found that the height of each individual is deeply linked to the two factors "meal" and "disease". In addition, it was revealed that "meal" and "disease" in early childhood had a great influence on the individual's height, in particular, it was not sufficient to eat in early childhood, diseases such as diarrhea were enough If nutrition is not absorbed, it will be found that there are adverse effects such as not stretching your height so much by adulthood.

William Leonardo, professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, said, "The main reason why the average height of humans has increased is because we can take more nutrition and improve our health by improving meals. ,Quality of life(QOL) improvement is the reason why the average height has increased. "

ByMike Burns

Actually, there are many cases showing the connection between height and health.

For example, in Europe it seems that the average height was the lowest in the 17th century, the average height of the French men at that time was only 162 cm. This is a cold period that lasted from the mid-14th century to the mid-19th century "Small ice age"It is thought that it is the influence of the small ice age, the crop yield is drastically reduced, the food shortage, enough nutrition can not be ingested, furthermoreEngland civil warYaThirty Year WarIt is presumed that the average height has not been considered from now because the QOL of citizens has declined as a result of many wars such as war.

However, the industrial revolution occurred in the 18th century, the sewage system of the city and so on was rapidly adjusted by the second half of the 19th century, together with the booming economy, enriching the meal of people living in Europe and improving QOL. With this, the average height of people in Europe now is higher than in other areas.

In a more recent case,Korean WarLater Korea and North Korea give out interesting figures. Korea and North Korea are originally from the same Korean nation, but both sidesHuman development index(HDI), you can see that there is a big difference in economic level. Looking at HDI, Korea is ranked 15th out of 195 countries, North Korea is estimated to be 188th place estimate, and that there will be a big difference between QOL of the citizens of the two regions clear. And comparing the average height of adult men in 2014, the adult male in North Korea seems to be 3 cm to 8 cm taller than the adult male in Korea.

ByRonan Shenhav

However, in some developed countries including the United States there are countries where the average height has not increased since the 19th century. From the industrial revolution of the 18th century to the Second World War that occurred in the middle of the 20th century America has achieved the most remarkable growth in the world. However, the average height of the current American male is 176 cm, the average height of the woman is 163 cm, there is little change from the number 45 years ago.

Mr. Comoros said that the average height of the United States has not increased since about 45 years ago, the difference between rich and poor in America is intense compared with the advanced European countries, poor people ingest nutritious diet and health It seems to be because it is difficult to make use of the care-related system. In fact, millions of Americans do not have medical insurance and do not undergo periodic checkups. Also, in the United States there is little aid for pregnant women, but in the Netherlands it is possible to receive nursing home care and be sure to receive it without charge. In addition, one-third of the American population is obese due to excessive junk food eating, suggesting that excessive calorie intake and overeating of processed food may have an effect on growth.

ByHappy Meal

Of course, not only "meals" and "diseases" determine human's height. Genes also play an important role, making it easier for children with higher stature to be born among their taller parents. However, families suffering from poverty are more unhealthy, taller and more likely to make children, than rich families. The Republic of Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, is also the most prolific country in the world, and women seem to give birth to more than seven children on average, "From a global perspective, the difference in average height is a society It is clear that you are coming from the status in the economy and whether you are getting stable nutrition, "Leonardo said.

ByMathieu Dessus

So, what kind of appeal does high stature have? For example, high stature is said to be one of the indicators of the height of income. According to research published in 2004, it became clear that annual income would be $ 789 and current rate would be $ 976 (about 100,000 yen) if it is 1 inch higher than the average height. However, except for athletes and fashion models, there is no occupation that height is directly linked to income. Moreover, it is thought that the height is too high, it seems that it is more likely to suffer from diseases like cardiovascular disorders than those with low height.

In addition, Mr. Comoros said, "The Netherlands seems to have reached the maximum value of the average height of human beings, it seems that humans have reached the highest height under optimum conditions," said Leonardo Generally, people in developed countries seem to have reached the limit of the possibilities of genes ".