>>12443706Milk and dairy products play an important role in explaining historical trends or regional differences in human height during the 19th and 20th centuries [13]. A recent extensive ecological study analyzed the main correlates of male height in 105 countries in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Oceania [14]. Data on male height were compared with the average consumption of protein from 28 different sources and with 7 socioeconomic indicators. The most significant nutritional correlates of stature were intake of milk proteins (r = 0.79; p < 0.001), followed by total protein (r = 0.74; p < 0.001), and animal protein (r = 0.73; p < 0.001); while the most negative nutritional correlate in the total sample was rice protein (r = –0.74; p < 0.001). The highest correlation with height (r = 0.85; p < 0.001) was achieved for the combination of proteins from milk products, eggs, pork and beef meat, and potatoes. The authors identified 3 primary types of diets based on the major source of protein. The first, a rice protein-based diet, characterized by a very low protein and energy consumption, is typical of tropical Asia, and is associated with a very short stature (162–168 cm). The second, a wheat-based diet with a high plant-protein content, characterized by a relatively high total protein and energy consumption (comparable with that of European countries), is typical of the Muslim countries of North Africa and the Near East, and is associated with a relatively short stature (average male height <174 cm). The third, an animal protein-based diet consisting mostly of milk proteins, is typical of Northern and Central Europe, and is associated with the tallest mean stature in the world (>180 cm). Most importantly, these data showed a difference of some 10 cm (174 vs. 184) between nations relying on plant versus animal proteins, despite a comparable consumption of total protein and energy.
