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Why are Indians so short is a question that gets asked quite a bit online and it is difficult to find an exact answer for. The reason it’s such a difficult question to answer is that there are a lot of different variables that can affect one’s height and these variables often can’t be changed. Could it possibly be related to carrying buckets of water on your head stunting growth in height from a young age?
Learning what these different variables are can help give you an idea of why it does seem that Indians are shorter then perhaps what they could be. Even with learning what they are most likely doesn’t mean that you will be able to change them since the issue is much larger than changing your diet or exercising.
With all that in mind, it’s time to look further into why are Indian people so short and find some of what these answers are!
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How Short Are People From India
When you compare the heights of Males and Females from India and the USA, there is a noticeable difference. However, what is surprising is that while Indian people are on average shorter, the 9th tallest person in the world was from India.
Vikas Uppal stood a staggering 8’2″ before his death at the age of just 21 in 2007. The tallest living Indian person is Dharmendra Pratap Singh who currently stands at 8’1″. He is currently the 17th tallest person ever measured.
But on average, Indian men are 4 inches shorter than American males at 5’5″. While the Indian women are 3.5-inches shorter at 5′ flat.
What Affects Your Height?
This is one of the most important questions to find the answer to as it can give you some insight into why some people are shorter than others. One thing to remember is there have always been exceptions to the rule with there being people are giants coming from places that have low average heights.
Economic Reasons Are More Important Than You Think
History and statistics show that the better a countries economic growth and living standards are, the taller the people will be. Countries like the Netherlands are a great example of this with there economy and living standards are constantly improving along with how tall they are.
This will make you wonder why this is different for India, who has incredible economic growth yet the people seem to be getting shorter. There is a difference between the Netherlands and India and that’s the quality of living standards. The level of living standards ultimately affects things like nutrition and diet, which can affect growth in humans.
Sadly it’s no secret that the difference between the rich and poor is growing at an alarming rate. Leaving the poor to struggle and not get enough nutrients which can then lead to stunted growth in terms of a person’s height.
Health Is A Big Reason
More goes into health then you might think which can lead to a number of things that affect how short people can be. At one point America was the tallest country in the world and it took more than just having enough food and vaccinations. This is evident by how the Western Europeans now tower over Americans.
America’s healthcare system is well known for being terrible which is something that is well documented. When you consider that at the time of writing this that the USA is ranked 37 in the world and India is 145 you can get an idea of how this can affect a countries height average.
By improving your nutrition you have the ability to affect one’s growth. Tho it’s more important when you’re younger and still in the growing stage of life. But due to economic factors and living standards, this isn’t always feasible in every country sadly. Ultimately, it’s something that can affect your growth when your older and leave you being shorter.
Climate Can Affect How Short Indian People Are
There are some studies and beliefs that the closer to the equator you are the taller you will be. To put it very simply in a way everyone can understand, think of the difference between polar bears and giraffes. Polar bears are further away from the equator and more stocky just like some tribes of Inuits.
Giraffes are much closer to the equator where it’s warmer so they need to be leaner to allow the heat to escape the body. This is why the Masai tribes tend to be leaner to handle the heat better.
Something that can affect this is what I mentioned earlier things like economic growth and healthy living. Everything is all intertwined affecting the many aspects of your life in ways that you might not have thought of before.
The Difference Between Indians In England And India
In my opinion, this is one of those things that really does show just how much healthy living and economic growth do affect height. A study from 2016 from the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development showed the height differences between Indians who live in England compared to India.
This study showed that the average height between the two was close to a 5cm difference. It wasn’t just men either, it was for the woman as well both showing this incredible difference.
The Biggest Difference
One of the biggest finds in the study was the difference between Indian children in England compared to the ones in India. The study showed that Indians who were raised in England were to be as tall as the caucasian English kids and leaving the kids raised in India behind.
The difference between the children from India and England was a staggering 10cms in some cases. This drastic difference is impressive and rarely seen in a lot of studies that show such evidence.
Your Genetics Play A Role
The genetics of a family line can play a role in how tall someone will be when they’re older. However, genetics might not play as large of a role as you might think since genetics can alter greatly. Having 2 tall people have a child might not lead to a tall kid since the child might take after a shorter ancestor.
So trying to find someone who is tall just to try and increase your child’s height isn’t always going to work. It will certainly play a part in it tho. More importantly, making sure that the child is happy and healthy is more important than striving to have two tall parents in my opinion.
No matter how hard you try natural selection will play a part and interfere in ways you don’t want it to. Sadly there is no way to guarantee you will be or have a taller child.
Lots Of Contributing Factors Make Indians Shorter
As you can tell from this is that a lot goes into your height and just how little control you have with it. Having a healthy lifestyle and good genetics can go a long way in affecting your height whether you’re Indian or Dutch. There’s no one determining factor that says “this is why Indian people are so short”. It’s a collaboration of smaller factors that can contribute to their shorter status.
So sadly you won’t find some kind of get tall scheme here to help increase your height. But your height won’t change who you are and you shouldn’t let it dictate your entire life. Being short isn’t something that should be considered a downside or a flaw as there are a lot of advantages to being short such as health benefits that most other people don’t have.
