By Matt Crenson, Associated Press
Chicago Tribune, July 16, 2007
NEW YORK -- America used to be the tallest country in the world.
But the nation's predominance has faded. Americans reached a height plateau after World War II, gradually falling behind much of the industrialized world.
By the time the Baby Boomers reached adulthood in the 1960s, most Northern and Western European countries had surpassed the United States. Young adults in Japan and other prosperous Asian countries now stand nearly as tall as Americans do.
In the 1850s, all the nations of Western Europe stood 2 1/2 inches shorter than their American brethren.
"Obviously America is not doing badly," said historian John Komlos. "But it's also not doing as well as it could."
For several years, Komlos and other researchers have been trying to figure out exactly why the United States fell behind. Komlos, an economic historian at the University of Munich, was born in Hungary, grew up in Chicago and has spent the last quarter-century compiling data on the heights of nations.
Like many human traits, an individual's height is determined by a mix of genes and environment. Experts generally agree that aside from African pygmies and a few similar exceptions, most populations have about the same genetic potential for height.
That leaves environment to determine the differences in height between populations around the world. Any deficiency along the way, from poor prenatal care to early childhood disease or malnutrition, can prevent a person from reaching his or her full genetic height potential.
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