ments ignore this scenario. They don’t see
that continued increases in body size would
only multiply the harmful aspects of greater
numbers of people.
When we were hunter gathers and agriculturalists we ate simply and did not have
access to high sugar,
fat and salt diets. Meat
was not hormone and
fat laden. During the
industrial revolution,
we saw a progressive increase in animal
protein intake along
with increased height,
weight and chronic
disease. Today we eat
twice as much protein
as we need. However,
many sources, such as
Tufts University, have
reported that red meat
and processed meats
promote cancer, heart
disease, and diabetes.
Considerable research
has shown high protein
diets during infancy
and childhood promote
faster growth and later
obesity.
In conclusion, it is
obvious from the obesity epidemic that over
nutrition is a worldwide
problem. A healthful but
moderate calorie diet
starting before pregnancy and continuing
through life would avoid
excessive growth and
the harmful ramifications discussed in this
article. Our health and
productivity would also
improve through better nutrition. However,
these improvements
won’t happen unless we
de-emphasize our adoration of rapid growth
and tall height.
Post Note:
This May 2014, a large, 50-year study found shorter men lived longer.
Citation: He Q, Morris BJ, Grove JS, Petrovitch H, Ross W, et al. (2014)
Shorter Men Live Longer: Association of Height with Longevity and FOXO3
Genotype in American Men of Japanese Ancestry. PLoS ONE 9(5): e94385.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094385
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