Are Americans shorter (partly) because they are fatter? A comparison of US and Dutch children's height and BMI values

Abstract

Objective: The study compared the height and BMI values of US children and youth by gender in the most recent NHANES surveys (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004) to those of their Dutch counterparts in 1997 in order to gain insights into the different growth patterns. Results: US children and youth are both shorter and heavier than their Dutch counterparts. US adolescent girls tend to experience an earlier growth spurt than do the Dutch and the velocity of growth of US boys slows down faster after the adolescent growth spurt than does that of their Dutch counterparts. The latter end up being approximately 5.6 cm taller and their median BMI values are 1.9-2.0 less than that of US youth between the ages of 10 and 19. This implies that US boys of the same height at age 19 are 8.8 kg heavier than their Dutch counterparts, and girls of age 13 are 7.2 kg heavier. Discussion: Some studies link high BMI values in childhood to an earlier onset of adolescence, which in turn has been linked to less growth thereafter. Conclusion: The fast tempo of growth of the US children may be associated with high energy balance, which leads to higher BMI values and which in turn may be associated with less growth during adolescence.

Body Mass Index Categories and Attained Height in Portuguese Adults

“…In contrast, high body fat in girls was associated with an earlier onset of puberty [29,30], which in turn was negatively associated with attained height and increased likelihood of overweight and obesity in adulthood [22,31,32]. Other studies are a mirror of similar negative associations between BMI and growth during adolescence [33]. …”

Growth patterns in early childhood and final attained stature: Data from five birth cohorts from low‐ and middle‐income countries

“…As child over-nutrition becomes a more prevalent, nutritional constraints on puberty are removed, and puberty occurs at earlier ages (Ong et al, 2006). It has been suggested that the over-nutrition of the U.S. child and adolescent population is related to the reduction in mean height of the U.S. population, a trend that is not apparent in Dutch adults (Komlos and Breitfelder, 2007). To the extent that is a valid explanation, these data speak to the need to simultaneously address undernutrition in the very young child while preventing over-nutrition in school-age and adolescence.…”

Comparison of Imaging Biomarkers in the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging

“…TIV also differed between MCSA and ADNI. We suspect that MCSA subjects have larger TIVs because of the northern European heritage of many Minnesotan residents, and the link between these nationalities and tall height 41 .…”