How important is height?
Discussion
BBC article showing the relation between height and diet as if height is a good thing?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54828544
Would a more useful indicator be diet vs IQ?
or maybe diet vs medical incidents during a lifetime?
Why height?
or why diet?
Could physical activity be another indicator?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54828544
Would a more useful indicator be diet vs IQ?
or maybe diet vs medical incidents during a lifetime?
Why height?
or why diet?
Could physical activity be another indicator?
Edited by saaby93 on Friday 6th November 07:37
Ian Geary said:
Easy to measure?
Directly correlate to health?
Keeps academic types busy?
In my kid's class, parental genetics plays a far bigger part in height than diet though...
Genetics does play an important part but how many kids are shorter than their parentsDirectly correlate to health?
Keeps academic types busy?
In my kid's class, parental genetics plays a far bigger part in height than diet though...
On the whole the population height has been increasing. If now that stops or reverses while the rest of Europe is still increasing what are the factors, diet is an obvious guess.
A massive oversimplification and probably a pre-conceived answer to the effects of poor diet and possibly why the BBC has chosen to highlight the report in the Lancet.
I was borne in 1951 during food rationing, am 6ft and was 6ft when I was 14-years old. My wife was born the same year, she is 5’-10”. Her father was born during the first world and was 6’-2”. He was a pro-footballer and cricketer but his best sport was tennis.
I have 4 Dutch friends, they are all tall. 1 couple are my age, the other are much younger. I live in France, often recognised for its thoughtful cuisine, my wife and I tend to tower over most locals, both young and old.
I think genetics has a much bigger impact on height and that BMI is much more likely to be a better indicator of food deprivation - both too few calories and an excess of the wrong calories.
I was borne in 1951 during food rationing, am 6ft and was 6ft when I was 14-years old. My wife was born the same year, she is 5’-10”. Her father was born during the first world and was 6’-2”. He was a pro-footballer and cricketer but his best sport was tennis.
I have 4 Dutch friends, they are all tall. 1 couple are my age, the other are much younger. I live in France, often recognised for its thoughtful cuisine, my wife and I tend to tower over most locals, both young and old.
I think genetics has a much bigger impact on height and that BMI is much more likely to be a better indicator of food deprivation - both too few calories and an excess of the wrong calories.
Isn't it simple genetics? Add together height of you and your other half, divide by 2 then add on a few inches as each generation gets slightly taller. If you and your other half are a similar height 'd expect the kids to be taller etc
Real world example - I'm 6ft, the wife is 5ft 2 and number one son looks like he will be 5ft 8 or 9 when fully grown (he is almost that now at 19).
TX.
Real world example - I'm 6ft, the wife is 5ft 2 and number one son looks like he will be 5ft 8 or 9 when fully grown (he is almost that now at 19).
TX.
Having tall parents/genes will have some effect on height, but to realise the genetic potential nutrition and maybe other lifestyle factors are essential. The importance of nutrition (diet) is largely ignored by most - simply concentrating on calories rather than quality and nutritional values.
Johnnytheboy said:
Terminator X said:
Isn't it simple genetics? Add together height of you and your other half, divide by 2 then add on a few inches as each generation gets slightly taller.
That's the bit that’s down to diet I guess. saaby93 said:
Johnnytheboy said:
Terminator X said:
Isn't it simple genetics? Add together height of you and your other half, divide by 2 then add on a few inches as each generation gets slightly taller.
That's the bit that’s down to diet I guess. Terminator X said:
Isn't it simple genetics? Add together height of you and your other half, divide by 2 then add on a few inches as each generation gets slightly taller. If you and your other half are a similar height 'd expect the kids to be taller etc
Real world example - I'm 6ft, the wife is 5ft 2 and number one son looks like he will be 5ft 8 or 9 when fully grown (he is almost that now at 19).
TX.
Doesn't always work that way. If there's a big height difference between the parents, one child may take after one parent, and the other child after the other. My wife is 7 inches taller than her sister. Plus I have 2 tall friends who are both married to short women, and their sons both take after their mothers, and are much shorter than their dads. One dad is 6'3 and his son is about 5'6.Real world example - I'm 6ft, the wife is 5ft 2 and number one son looks like he will be 5ft 8 or 9 when fully grown (he is almost that now at 19).
TX.
On the other hand, my wife and I are both quite tall, but our sons are taller than me. It's very variable.
Height is the easiest aggregate measure of health, and it is - over generations - mostly diet.
In the West we are slowly returning to the 6ft plus average of our ancestors pre agriculture. The same height the Masai have always been.
One complication is that the mother's eggs were effectively laid by her mother at her own conception, so the effect is distant in time.
In the West we are slowly returning to the 6ft plus average of our ancestors pre agriculture. The same height the Masai have always been.
One complication is that the mother's eggs were effectively laid by her mother at her own conception, so the effect is distant in time.
I remember reading that 19th century Ireland's almost total reliance on a potato based diet was a disaster
waiting to happen, but also that, due to the nutritional potato diet Irish men and women were taller, stronger
and heavier that their English bread eating neighbours.
Although what is vastly different in the Dutch diet that makes them 2 inches taller is a bit
of a mystery.
More to do with being better parents is my controversial view, not letting their kids sit around all day filling
their pie-holes with fizzy drinks, chicken nuggets, sweets and more fizzy orange.
waiting to happen, but also that, due to the nutritional potato diet Irish men and women were taller, stronger
and heavier that their English bread eating neighbours.
Although what is vastly different in the Dutch diet that makes them 2 inches taller is a bit
of a mystery.
More to do with being better parents is my controversial view, not letting their kids sit around all day filling
their pie-holes with fizzy drinks, chicken nuggets, sweets and more fizzy orange.
saaby93 said:
BBC article showing the relation between height and diet as if height is a good thing?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54828544
Would a more useful indicator be diet vs IQ?
or maybe diet vs medical incidents during a lifetime?
Why height?
or why diet?
Could physical activity be another indicator?
Height is definitely a good thing.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54828544
Would a more useful indicator be diet vs IQ?
or maybe diet vs medical incidents during a lifetime?
Why height?
or why diet?
Could physical activity be another indicator?
Edited by saaby93 on Friday 6th November 07:37
Are you a short arse or something?
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff