They lead a very busy life and as a result, they sleep less than they should. According to researchers, the Dutch people, especially the young ones sleep the most among all European nations. And this is one of the reasons why they are so tall. Sleep is very important for the growth of the human body. There is a direct relationship between sleep and growing tall. Growth hormone is responsible for humans growing taller especially during their childhood and teenage years. And the growth hormone is produced while the human body is resting.
And what better way to rest than sleep. This means when a child or a teenager sleeps, their body will naturally produce growth hormone. And the more they sleep, the more hormones will be produced and the more they are likely going to be taller. The main reason why the Dutch are so tall is simply natural selection. Natural selection is the process in which only those who adapted to the environment better tend to survive and reproduce.
The process of natural selection played a pivotal part in the sharp increase in height of the Dutch people. A team of researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine studied the health and lives of more than ninety-four thousand Dutchmen who lived in the northern part of the Netherlands from to From this study, the researchers found that the families that have more children are males and females who are taller than the average height in their generation.
These researchers have found that the most fertile men in their research were around seven centimeters taller than the average height at their time. They also had more children on average. At the same time, the least fertile men were around fourteen centimeters shorter than the median height of their contemporaries. Height is a genetic trait. That means the offspring of taller parents are usually taller than the offspring of parents who are normal or short in height.
And researchers had already observed that taller individuals tend to be more fertile, which means they are likely to have more children. As a result, the next generation is likely going to be taller than their predecessors. This is how nature works. With time, there were simply more people in the Netherlands carrying tall genes. Natural selection along with the reasons mentioned above have helped the Dutch people from being the shortest people in Europe to become the tallest people on earth.
Now you know why Dutch are so tall and even are the tallest people in the world. Even though a few decades ago, they were the shortest people in Europe. Compared to counterparts in other countries where they often tended to have fewer children, taller women also reproduced more in the Netherlands. Many postponed having children until after their studies, but once they forged a successful relationship, often had a large family.
The study did not involve genetic testing, but concluded from the observations that natural selection must have played a part: with time, more and more Dutch started sporting tall genes. Stulp pointed to figures showing that, in the United States, shorter women and men of average height have the most reproductive success. This article is more than 6 years old. A young girl measures herself in front of growth chart. Natural selection and good environmental conditions may help explain why the Dutch are so tall.
But again, there is no evidence for that. Stulp did not, however, rule out a switch to healthier food helping the Dutch maintain their table-topping record — and growing again. The data is nevertheless a sober reminder for the Dutch that nothing stays the same for ever.
More than a century ago, the tallest people were still mainly in North America and northern Europe , with Sweden and Norway standing proudly above all. It was only in the first half of the s that the Netherlands enjoyed a stunning growth spurt, hitting the heights in the s. Dutch men born in had reached an average height of 5ft 9in Those born in topped 6ft The generation of women born in reached an average of 5ft 5in The Office for National Statistics in the UK does not routinely collect data on height, but the latest special study in suggested the average height of a man in England and Wales was 5ft 9in Research has suggested that beyond enjoying a better diet than in previous centuries, the Dutch experience was driven by natural selection: the people who had the most children were tall men, and women of average height.
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