Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Secular growth and its harmful ramifications.

T T Samaras1, L H Storms

  • 1Reventropy Associates, San Diego, California 92124, USA. SamarasTT@AOL.com

Medical Hypotheses
|January 29, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Height, body size and longevity.

Acta medica Okayama·1999
Same author

Height, health and growth hormone.

Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)·1999
Same author

Impact of height and weight on life span.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization·1992
Same author

Effects of gluten on schizophrenics.

Archives of general psychiatry·1982
Same author

Modification of chronic schizophrenics' abstractions through enriched stimuli and social censure.

Journal of clinical psychology·1980
Same author

Psychological functioning after halothane or enflurane anesthesia.

Anesthesia and analgesia·1980
Same journal

Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-Induced Central Sensitization: A Hypothesis for Long COVID Symptoms.

Medical hypotheses·2026
Same journal

Subclinical mastitis during lactation: a modifiable risk factor for breast cancer?

Medical hypotheses·2025
Same journal

The Role of Hemispheric Sensory Shifts: Impacts on Stretch Reflex and Motor Plasticity Post-Stroke.

Medical hypotheses·2025
Same journal

Neuron-Targeted Exosome Therapy: A Novel Approach for Treating Cardiogenic Dementia via RyR2 Inhibition.

Medical hypotheses·2025
Same journal

How the Somatosensory System Adapts to the Motor Change in Stroke: A Hemispheric Shift?

Medical hypotheses·2024
Same journal

Unstable Plaque is a Treatable Cause of Cognitive Decline.

Medical hypotheses·2024
See all related articles

Global populations are growing taller and heavier, increasing resource consumption and pollution. This trend poses significant environmental and health risks, potentially impacting longevity and survival.

Area of Science:

  • Human biology
  • Environmental science
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Secular growth trends show increasing average height and weight globally over the past 150 years.
  • Greater stature is often admired, with ideal Western male height around 6ft 2in (188cm).
  • Populations in Europe, USA, Japan, and China have experienced significant height increases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the environmental, health, and survival implications of increasing human height and body weight.
  • To present quantitative data on resource use, pollution, and economic costs associated with larger body size.
  • To explore the relationship between body size, longevity, and the potential for extinction.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of secular growth data from various global populations.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Application of scaling laws to demonstrate non-linear impacts of stature on consumption and costs.
  • Review of paleontological data on body size and extinction risk.
  • Examination of studies linking height to longevity and caloric restriction diets.

    • Main Results:

    • Increasing population height and weight lead to non-linear increases in resource consumption, pollution, energy use, and fiscal costs.
    • Larger body size is associated with a reduction in longevity, with studies indicating a loss of 0.47 years per cm increase in height.
    • Paleontological evidence suggests larger body size correlates with increased extinction risk.

    Conclusions:

    • The trend of increasing human stature and body weight presents a significant threat to environmental sustainability, public health, and long-term survival.
    • Dietary interventions to moderate growth in youth and prevent chronic diseases are recommended.
    • Understanding scaling laws is crucial for predicting the ecological and economic consequences of human population changes.