Posted on 04/08/2015 7:17:23 AM PDT by blam
Richard Ingham, AFP
April 8, 2015
The Netherlands is the land of giants: on average, its women stand almost 5 feet 6 inches tall, and its men 6 feet tall. But how the Dutch became the world's tallest people has been somewhat of a mystery.
After all, two centuries ago they were renowned for being among the shortest. What happened since then?
A popular explanation is nutrition -- a calorie-stuffed diet rich in meat and dairy products.
But that can't be the whole story, experts say.
Other European countries, too, have enjoyed similar prosperity and a rise in living standards, yet their citizens have not shot skywards as much.
The average male height in the Netherlands has gained 20 cm (eight inches) in the last 150 years, according to military records.
By comparison, the height of the average American man has risen a mere six cm over the same period.
Researchers led by Gert Stulp, a specialist in population health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, combed a Dutch database for clues.
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(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Back in the 1990’s our youngest daughter had made friends with a Dutch family while touring with a musical ministry, and said family came here to CA twice in that era.
I don’t remember much except we were amazed they drank no water!
(I think back in the Netherlands they take water in through their pores)!
We did a Thanksgiving Dinner for them, to give them an idea of that holiday, since they do not celebrate that one - !
Someone said they were so tall from being pulled in both directions, but that’s a stretch.
That was interesting, thanks.
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