We don’t know if you’ve realised it yet, but let us break the news: people from the Netherlands are tall. In fact, they’re one of the tallest on the planet.
Studies show that the average height of a Dutch man is 1.86 m (over 6’0″), whereas the average American stands at 1.76 m (5’9”) tall.
So, why are the Dutch rather well-endowed? Here are four potential reasons.
1. Good ol’ natural selection
To kickstart our possible reasons why the Dutchies are so tall, we have natural selection. The idea behind it is simple: with time, there were more and more Dutch people with tall genes.
READ MORE | World record of most tall people in one location was broken by the Netherlands
Scientists believe that a healthy mix of natural selection and good environmental conditions did the trick.
As Gert Stulp, a specialist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, wrote in a study called LifeLines:
“Height is very heritable — taller parents tend to have somewhat taller children than shorter parents. Because taller individuals would have more offspring in the next generation who would be taller, the average height in that generation would be a bit taller on average than the preceding generation, if all else is equal.”
2. Tall men get laid
This is where things get steamy: one of the reasons why the Dutch are so tall might be sex. Particularly, tall-people-sex.
According to the LifeLines study, tall men accompanied by a woman of average height conceive the most children. In the Netherlands, men with the most children were seven centimetres taller than the average.
Statistically speaking, taller men had an average of 0.24 more children than the least fertile men, who were about 14 cm below the average height.
LifeLines reached this conclusion by looking into the lives and health of more than 94,500 people who lived in the northern parts of the Netherlands between 1935 and 1967.
Gene-maxing? We think so. 😉
3. They get enough snooze time
Everyone loves a good snooze. Although our hectic lives and busy schedules sometimes make it impossible to get a good night’s rest, it might be the reason behind getting taller.
There is ample reason to believe that there is a correlation between getting enough sleep and height.
READ MORE | Dutch DNA: Are the Dutch actually Dutch?
How? In order to grow, your body needs growth hormones.
While we are asleep, our bodies create this hormone naturally, and it helps build tissues such as muscle, skin, tendon, and bone.
So deeper sleep means bigger muscles, faster healing — and ding, ding, ding! — increased height. Especially between the ages of 19 and 27.
READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #82: Grow really, really tall
Then, it comes as no surprise that the Netherlands has the best work-sleep balance in Europe! A Dutch person averages eight hours and five minutes of sleep for roughly 6.4 hours of work in a day.
4. All that cheese
Finally, one of the biggest reasons why Dutchies are so tall is because of all the Goudamn cheese they eat! It’s no secret that the Dutch love their dairy products.
Visiting the cheese markets in Gouda, Alkmaar, or Edam will quickly help you understand why it’s such a popular Dutch staple.
But could it explain why the Dutch are as tall as they are? Scientists believe yes, but not entirely.
READ MORE | Eat your cheese: How the Dutch became ridiculously tall
It’s not as simple as saying if you eat cheese, you grow tall. However, cheese contains protein and calcium, the key nutrients that bolster your height.
While we cannot spell out the exact explanation behind Dutch height, they must be doing something right.
Got your own theory on why the Dutch are so tall? Leave it in the comments below!
growth hormone that used to be in milk products including cheese..
I don’t recall the Dutch being all that tall before the war. To nurish the children milk was brought into the classroom everyday at every school. I belive this is what contributed to the Dutch being tall today.
The same was done in British schools. Yuk I remember semi warm milk being forced on us! And the Brits are only averagely tall…..
I guess they did use milk that was long-life-milk ? That tastes awful 😖 Also in other Europen countries they still don’t drink fresh milk like we do in The Netherlands 😊
Boerenkool!
dubbel zoute drop
What are you talking about? 1.86cm is tiny
Not as an average.
Other countries have smaller averages
Interesting guesses! Am doing a research on food behaviour, the first research point is helpful. The sex part is interesting 😀 I believe in that part as well. Time to do a lot 🙂
We just have to constantly watch over our dykes to make sure the water is not rising too high!??????
?????
Dropje
It’s the legal prostitution/sex culture and legal Cannabis. Freedom may just equal height…
ik moet gaan!
Doei Joost 🙂
Protein consumption
Because when the polder floods you will be head and shoulders above the water
they heght was so good for example my height is 164 and my age 18
I am Dutch and don’t eat cheese or drink milk.
Never had much slept more then 5 hours a night.
I think however it has something to do with the Netherlands being below sea level and the way our blood cells have adapt to that it can be a coincidence. And not only are our men tall so are our women.
And as mentioned before vegetables is something we all grew up with green veg. Like kale, endive and broccoli. Always with potatoes. This will most definitely be a factor. As they are rich in iron and that makes you grow.
Best answer yet
I thought it must be about the low lying land – makes sense to me
I’m Dutch and I’m tall. My brothers were too. Dad and Mom were tall. But I believe the biggest factor affecting my growth was vegetables. Every meal had them, and we ate a lot. It has been said that the Dutch are thrifty and vegetables are cheap, but I couldn’t imagine a meal without them.
We moved to Canada and one thing I noticed here is that most people don’t eat the vegetables in a restaurant meal.
They have to walk on their tippy toes to stay above water.
Lol average male height in the Netherlands is 181 cm for men and 183 cm for young men according to the Dutch government, not 186 cm.
They will flood soon the tall will live longer. The good Lord in his infinite wisdom has a plan.
A child they grows up with prosperity, rest, low stress, access to good medicine, vaccinations, genetics, constant supply of food (especially meat. I noticed that protein in fish leads to better coloration, growth and size) will lead to good growth
I am 1/4 Dutch. Both my maternal grandparents were shorter (Scottish & Czech). My paternal grandfather was short (German). My Dutch paternal grandparents were tall. I am 6-4.
I f you look around the globe, all people that eat a lot of diary produce, milk,cheese,yoghurt,kefir, are tall. Norway, Ethiopea, Erytrea, Somalia and the Netherlands. These are amongst the tallest people on earth. Ample supply of calcium, enzymes and proteines will help growing tall.
The Netherland are far from the equator (I’ve seen the maps!) so gravity is waeker – and not pulling the Dutch down so much? :-p
it somewhere in the genes. my brothers and sister and myself are from Dutch parents and we are tall, between 5.7 and 6ft. my husband was from England and he was 6ft. my children are tall I have 3. 2 are 6ft the other 6ft 5. my children didn’t have much milk or cheese and vegetables were usually frozen due to a tight budget. one of my uncles were 6ft 7, so I’m guessing my son that’s 6ft 5 has inherited that gene
genes and wealth and a diet of vegetables and patatoes