Major correlates of male height: A study of 105 countries.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional ecological study using aggregate national data (by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
PubMed 26948573 · doi:10.1016/j.ehb.2016.01.005
What was done
The study examined ecological correlates of average male height across 105 countries in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Oceania. Country-level male height data were compared with the average consumption of 28 protein sources (FAOSTAT, 1993–2009) and seven socioeconomic indicators from the World Bank, the CIA World Factbook, and the United Nations.
What was found
The authors identified three dietary patterns associated with stature: - Rice-dominant diets (tropical Asia): low total protein and energy intake, with average heights between approximately 162 and 168 cm. - Wheat-dominant diets (North Africa and the Near East): highest plant protein intake globally, with heights not exceeding 174 cm. - Dairy/animal protein-dominant diets (Northern and Central Europe): lower plant protein intake replaced by animal and dairy proteins, with the global height peak in the Netherlands (184 cm). In 72 countries with complete data, male stature was most strongly correlated with protein from the five most correlated foods (r = 0.85) and the Human Development Index (r = 0.84).
Why it matters
The paper indicates that international variation in adult male height is more closely tied to specific qualitative protein sources—notably dairy and animal proteins—and broad socioeconomic development than to total caloric or plant protein intake.
Limits
The study is observational and ecological, analyzing aggregate national averages rather than individual-level nutritional intake or height measurements, making it vulnerable to the ecological fallacy. Complete data were available for only 72 of the 105 countries, and causal inference is precluded.
Cited by
- partial Studies indicate that high dairy intake in Scandinavia is beneficial and explains why populations there are tall and lean.