Asians are shorter because they eat too much carbohydrates?
NO.
Asians are short, because their genetic pool contains genes that are not high anabolic hormone output. Period.
It is the same reason why Asians have smaller skeletal frames (Im not just talking height here, in an interview with the width of the shoulders, the size of their bones, as her wrist, etc.).
It is the same reason why Asians tend to be much skinnier than other racial / ethnic groups, and have a harder time packing on muscle and with a proper diet and routine vs. other races / ethnic groups. Blacks have the highest hormonal output in their common gene pool, which is the reason why blacks are often much easier to gain muscle and often a much larger skeletal frame. Caucasians are somewhere in the middle.
It all comes to hormones, and hormones are released by your genes and certain breeds have certain gene pools, since thousands of years floating through the generations.
Of course there are always exceptions, but speaking in general average.
Let me clearly and as simply as I can, practically everything, based on physical growth of the organs tissues (bones, organs, muscles, cartilage, etc.) boils down to all the hormones. Anabolic hormones are what the body uses to signal tissue growth. These include GH, IGF-1, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, etc. as simple as that (even if its not all easy, hormonal systems and tissue growth are very complex processes).
Secondly, your assertion that Asians eat a lot more carbohydrates than Western cultures is terribly inaccurate. Western cultures (Europeans and Americans) are the most disgustingly gluttonous carbohydrate black hole on the face of this planet. Why the hell do you think there is a massive obesity epidemic in the western culture? News flash, it didint come from eating fats and proteins from it didint eat, he came from Essen Ridiculous amounts of carbohydrate, more importantly, SIMPLE carbohydrates (also known as sugars – sucrose, and the bane of a healthy society, high – fructose corn syrup). Simple carbohydrates that huge spike insulin levels, which in the presence of even small amounts of fat or excess heat, signals big fat storage in fat deposits in the body.
Total Asian cultures (as in this Gabaldon In Asia, not Asian-Americans, as they are processed the same food-carbo-black holes as the rest of the western people) can eat a fair few carbohydrates, but they eat HEALTHY carbohydrates, complex Carbohydrates with low glycemic index values (rice, soybeans, rice noodles, etc.). Western cultures eat sugar by the pound every day, and guess what is sugar? Carbs, simple carbohydrates.
The average American eats something like 5-8 CUPS worth of pure granulated table sugar every day. You know how many calories the god damn nothing, but is simple Carbs? A helluvalot, more carbohydrates in 1 day, as an Asian eats in 1 week.
Diabetes are on the agenda in the Western culture as a direct consequence of this diet.
The ironic part I really love is when one considers the fact that nutritional labels on ordinary mayonnaise, and then a low-fat mayonnaise (with a Big Fat “With low-fat” label on the front). You will immediately notice that the low-fat mayonnaise has 2x or even 3x as much sugar in the normal verse mayonnaise. Guess what you actually make thicker? The low-FAT ONE. WHY? Since FAT isn’t what Americans FAT, its simple carbohydrates – sugar.
So without a doubt, Asians do not eat anywhere near the amount of carbohydrates to eat western culture in the modern day. If you look at the average American diet, its practically PURE carbohydrates. The ratio of carbsTonguerotein: Bold as 100:1:5
If you saw the amount of processed foods Americans eat every day (= 100% processed sugar & TRANS FAT Bullshit synthetic product – not REAL food, nothing more than a mix of epic amounts of sugar, a little trans-fatty acids, and fully pumped artificial flavorings and preservatives), all in one room on a table in front of you, you probably Puke your rectum out of your mouth just at the sight of IT. The absolutely digusting.
The parents that their children actually BUY this shit for the McDonald’s Egg McMuffin breakfast and triple-twinkie-Fiesta-pack for their school lunch and their TV dinner tray in the evening, because theyre too lazy to ensure their limited fat cankle Donner – thighed gravity force a donkey to the fact their children a freakin sandwich, should be considered in a field and shot for their retention of the demise of mankind. I think in any case, the A form of murder, or at least EXTREME neglect, to feed your children garbage absolute guarantees that they are overweight before their children and have a strong case of diabetes of their 7th Birthday, not to mention well on the way to a bloody heart attack by its 19th Birthday.
The shit is absolutely disgusting to me and is everything to the absolute stupidity of the parents that this is indeed their own children, children who are too young to proper nutrition and whose life is riddled with psycho-social issues such as fear of self-respect and self-image is not to mention his problems with all the terrible health, because their parents didint a shit enough about their children’s health and wellbeing, 3 minutes of their time to make a sandwich and throw an apple in the lunch break. Are you kidding me?
When are we gonna REQUIRE people to get a license to a PARENT? How many children have diabetes and to be obese at the hands of their parents’ carelessness? How many pregnant teenagers birth at the age of 15 with a concept of life and not a drop of maturity yet thrust into a man live, breathe, if they take care of themselves first and foremost?
The apparent that the average person to become a freakin stupid parents more. What happened to the society? MTV and McDonalds has rotted from the intelligence of the majority of people in this world? It seems like it wouldnt be in this obesity epidemic, and there are thousands of teen wouldnt KIDS, the children themselves, because they want their children to dress in cute outfits “as her child is nothing more than a God-forsaken fashion accessory that crawled out of the cum-sewered – rotting carcass-wreaking sesspool loose from their mothers-goosed with pussed Pussy-out-bloody-Wart-store juice and Pussy-SHAT in a toilet, where she nearly drowned after his birth until she pulls them out of the toilet on the temporary now shit-stained umbilical cord, which she proceeds with her dad at Mach 3 razor and starts shoving little $ 100 Reebok shoes with “theyre SOOOO CUTE” buttons on the pump and then shoving the child in her fake – Loui Vuitton handbag, where she proceeds to “IT” to their friends at home, they show their latest residential-breathing equipment they dress up like a Barbie doll.
Found this post helpful? Buy me a beer!
I enjoyed reading this article. I want to see more on this subject.. Thank you for sharing this amazing article.. Anyway, I am gonna subscribe to your rss and I hope you post again soon.
I think you underestimate the role of nutrition in attaining height. Asians eat too little and the primary staple provide too little for one’s body to grow. My cousins born here in the US (and have western eating habits) grow to average to above average height, they are not small frame either. I don’t think you know enough about asian culture and diet to presume anything about hormonal output. In my family, my parents came from Vietnam, and coming here they maintained the same eating habits they had from the home country and I can tell that it severely stunts growth as children get their eating habits from their parents. I’m only slight taller than my father 5’5, this is more to do with being poor and not knowing proper nutrition. My cousin on the other hand, their parents came here much earlier and were in a better position than my own parents, my cousins are all integrated into American society and food culture, they are all within normal height and weight for Americans. Of my ten cousins 5 boys and 5 girls, all boys are 5’8 and up respectively. I’ve seen enough cases of Asians being adopted by western parents at an early age to know they grow up to be exactly the same wrt height and weight as their western counter part, invariably genetics comes into play, and all people have genetics faults that may hinder their potential for physical growth, but thus far; I don’t see any conclusive evidence to warrant any kind of conclusions on the races of people.
As a scientist by training, I would logically posit an experiment in which one puts a European in the care of Asians from start to finish and do the reverse, Even a small sample size I think would warrant ample conclusions about the matter. However, I don’t think any European parents would be cruel enough to put their newborn children to be raised in a poverty stricken third world country. I’ve seen enough cases of adoption by European and American parents of Asian children to come to my own conclusions about the issue of race and genetics. I think there is a strong correlation between poverty and lack of height if everything else is controlled for (including type of diet).
Notice I don’t rule out genetics completely as I know intra-population height varies with genetics more so than inter-population height, which has more to do with diet and relative wealth of a country.
In the end, everything plays a role in human development. Genetics, environment: habits (sleep, exercise, food) and access to resources, stress levels.
Sorry for the long response, I just think that you are making a very general claim about something so very complex as human development where most trained scientist, endocrinologist, geneticist and nutritionist would spend a lifetime studying and still have a hard time coming to verifiable conclusions.
Asian people tend to consume more carb than protein (carb is cheaper obviously) which cause them a high glucose level in blood. High glycemic blood tends to inhibit release of growth hormone (which responsible for lengthening of long bone). Less growth hormone is likely to cause asian people to be shorter in my opinion.
Because Westerners are taller does not mean they eat better and are healthier. Actually the reverse is true. If you worry about your height, please consider the following:
Our society tells us that taller is better. While there are advantages to taller height, there also many disadvantages. For example, taller people tend to weigh more, and greater weight means greater demands for food, energy, materials, and farmland. In addition, bigger people produce more trash, carbon dioxide, and environmental damage. As one example, Samaras points out that researcher Dannenberg found a mere 10 pound increase in average US weight requires an additional 350,000,000 gallons of airline jet fuel per year. Since 1940, US weight has increased by over 40 pounds.
In summary, Samaras has long held that increasing human body size has devastating consequences on our health and the survival of humankind.
Thomas Samaras, founded Reventropy Associates 16 years ago and has worked with several researchers studying how greater height and weight affect health, longevity, performance and the environment. His associates included Dr. Elrick, a physician and longevity and nutrition expert, and Dr. Storms, a former professor at the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego and staff member at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Diego. Samaras has conducted research on body size for over 35 years.
Writing in the journal, World Nutrition, Samaras, a former engineer and configuration management specialist, warns us of the manifold problems that will result from our worship of greater height in our children.
While a small percentage of taller, bigger people is not a problem, a world population of larger people is. Failure of environmentalists to include the worldwide increase in body size in their future estimates of global warming, environmental damage and resource scarcity fails to accurately predict future problems.
A world population of larger people simply amplifies all the world’s problems with very little in return. Yes, taller people tend to make more money and hold higher positions in society. This condition is due to our social prejudice which incorrectly relates size to performance. However, with the same opportunity, shorter or smaller people can do very well in the achievement arena. For example, Samaras points out that some of the world’s greatest achievers have been on the shorter side of the fence. He gives a small sampling, such as Voltaire, Michelangelo, Mozart, Beethovan, Andrew Carnegie, Onassis, Audie Murphy, Joan of Arc, Einstein, Magaret Mead, Bruce Lee, Ben Gurion, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Alexander the Great.
The obesity epidemic also parallels our encouragement of faster, greater growth through abundant nutrition. Studies show that bigger infants that experience accelerated growth are more likely to become overweight or obese in adulthood. The present childhood trend towards obesity and type 2 diabetes is a serious concern for the health and economic viability of the future world. The idea that less food may be beneficial was demonstrated during the Great Depression when individuals exposed to the depression during gestation grew up to have the greatest jump in life expectancy compared more prosperous periods of the 20th century. Infant mortality, as well as mortality for most ages, also declined.
What is the solution? Samaras recommends that nutritionists should develop lower calorie, moderate protein diets that produce healthy but slower growing children. These diets should be started in early childhood to be effective, and mothers should attend free nutrition clinics for training in proper nutrition and portion control. This process will greatly reduce the costs of medical care in middle and older ages. Samaras realizes that implementation of these recommendations is difficult but failure to correct our nutrition problems will result in an unsustainable economic burden due to health, resource and environmental costs
Author’s background
The author has researched the ramifications of human body size for over 35 years and has published in dozens of medical and scientific journals and six medical/nutrition books. He is also the editor of the book: Human Body Size and the Laws of Scaling, 2007, Nova Science Publishers, NY. A book reviewer described the work as a Herculean accomplishment. An editorial by the World Public Health Nutrition Association (World Nutrition) reported that Samaras’s work represents an epic vision. He has also published in the books: International
Encyclopedia of Public Health and Epidemiology and Demography in Public Health.
Links to Samaras’s commentary and website
Original commentary
http://www.wphna.org/2011_mar_wn3_comm_small.htm
Commentary available in 22 languages
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110315/Human-growth-height-size-Reasons-to-be-small.aspx
Editorial on commentary
http://www.wphna.org/2011_mar_wn2_editorial_size.htm
Samaras’ website (includes list of his publications)
wwwhumanbodysize.com
Thomas T. Samaras, Director, Reventropy Associates, San Diego, Ca. USA
Email: samarastt@aol.com Tel: 858 576 9283