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Up or out, what does it matter? It seems like overconsumption either way.
by bottled_poe 11y ago
Up or out, what does it matter? It seems like overconsumption either way.
- lukas099 11y agoIsn't increased height generally taken as a sign of better nutrition?
- Jtsummers 11y agoYes. See the differences in the heights of the populations of the two Koreas over the past 50 or 60 years. Malnutrition in the north has resulted in a shorter population, while an abundance of food in the south has led to a taller population.
- bottled_poe 11y agoAnd? All that shows is that they ate less and were shorter as a result. Is that the conclusion?
- Jtsummers 11y agoMalnutrition is not the same as eating less. A healthy diet includes a variety of proteins, sugars, vitamins, minerals and other things. The North Korean diet has, for several generations now, been lacking in essential nutrients. The consequence is that their population has been shrinking (malnutrition during growing years means you don't grow). You can over consume food and still be malnourished. See a friend of mine in college that subsisted off a diet largely consisting of pastas and cheese, sometimes fruit. He was incredibly unhealthy, though he obtained more than enough calories to maintain his weight (he was somewhat overweight at the time, but not extremely so). Once he improved his diet he had enough energy to actually start exercising again and resolved several ongoing medical issues he had at the time due to missing key nutrients in his diet.
- bottled_poe 11y agoI understand the malnutrition crisis in North Korea. Of course that situation is appalling. I'm just saying that malnutrition and height are not polar opposites on some spectrum of good health.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- aroch 11y agoYes, diets low in proteins and certain vitamins/minerals (calcium, vitamins A and D) are associated with poorer physical development. This is why milk is fortified with A and D and we've bred rice (golden rice) that's high in these nutrients. That said nutrition probably only means the difference between 6' and 6'0.5", assuming you're not malnourished.
- maxerickson 11y agoGolden rice is genetically engineered. The pathway to synthesize vitamin A has been inserted.
- aroch 11y agoI'm aware, genetically engineering plants is a type of breeding...
- bottled_poe 11y agoThere's a huge grey area between "diets low in..." and "overconsumption".
- aroch 11y agoAnd...? All things equal, greater caloric intake is associated with taller people.
- bottled_poe 11y agoThat was my point in the first place.
- dragonwriter 11y agoUp is probably more a result of better childhood nutrition and better knowledge of and avoidance of childhood (and maternal, prenatal) consumption that has adverse effects on development. People don't get tall from overeating.