英语是人类发展的第一阶梯 双语阅读人类的整体身高是如何随时代变迁而变化的

Height is often an indicator of good health. 身高通常是健康的标志。

Genetics partially influences height, but other factors, such as nutrition, also affect how tall you become as an adult. The average height of a population can indicate the health of its people since things such as childhood illness and poor nutrition during pregnancy and childhood can stunt a person's growth.

遗传在一定程度上影响身高，但其他因素，如营养，也会影响你成年后的身高。人口的平均身高可以显示其人民的健康状况，因为在怀孕和童年期间，儿童疾病和营养不良等因素会阻碍一个人的成长。

GigaCalculator examined human height trend data from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration to see how average height has changed worldwide over time. NCD-RisC compiles height data in partnership with the World Health Organization, Imperial College in London, and from population-based surveys.

GigaCalculator研究了来自非传染性疾病风险因素合作组织的人类身高趋势数据，以了解全球平均身高是如何随时间变化的。NCD-RisC与世界卫生组织、伦敦帝国理工学院合作，并根据基于人口的调查汇编身高数据。

Being taller is associated with longevity and higher income and education, and taller people tend to be at lower risk for heart disease and stroke. However, taller stature is also associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.

个子高与长寿、高收入和高教育有关，而个子高的人患心脏病和中风的风险往往较低。然而，较高的身材也与某些癌症的风险增加有关。

Some countries, such as the U.S. and the U.K., have seen the average height of their population level off over the last several decades — the U.S. has dropped rather precipitously in the world rank of average height, from third for men and fourth for women in 1914 to 37th and 42nd, respectively, today. Other countries, such as those in Latin America and East Asia, have seen average heights among their populations increase. And countries in Africa and the Middle East have seen a decline in average heights.

一些国家，如美国和英国，在过去的几十年里，其人口的平均身高已经趋于平稳——美国在世界平均身高排名中急剧下降，从1914年的男性第三和女性第四下降到今天的第37和42位。拉丁美洲和东亚等其他国家的人口平均身高也在上升。非洲和中东国家的平均身高也在下降。

Differences in average height, taken together with increased reports about obesity, raise a proverbial red flag about public health, according to a 2016 study looking at trends in human height.

2016年一项关于人类身高趋势的研究显示，平均身高的差异，加上肥胖报道的增加，为公共健康敲响了众所周知的警钟。

Contents 目录

1. Early Humans Were 5 Feet Tall on Average 早期人类的平均身高是5英尺
2. Global Average Height Increased Until the 1980s 直到20世纪80年代，全球平均身高一直在增长
3. Height is Often an Indicator of Good Health 身高通常是健康的标志
4. S. Height Increased Rapidly in First Half of the 20th Century 美国身高在20世纪上半叶迅速增长

This museum display of skulls shows humankind’s evolution.

这座头骨博物馆展示了人类的进化过程。

Neanderthals, our closest human relatives, lived in Europe and Asia an estimated 40,000-130,000 years ago, though evidence of their existence dates back more than 400,000 years. Based on what archeologists have been able to glean from historical research, males had an average height of 5 feet and 5 inches (1.7 meters), while females were small, at an average of 5 feet and 1 inch (1.5 meters).

尼安德特人是我们最近的人类亲属，估计在4万至13万年前生活在欧洲和亚洲，尽管他们存在的证据可以追溯到40多万年前。根据考古学家从历史研究中收集到的数据，男性的平均身高为5英尺零5英寸(1.7米)，而女性的平均身高为5英尺零1英寸(1.5米)。

Height and weight have not consistently increased together; early Neanderthals tended to be taller than those who came later, but their weight remained the same. Their short, stocky bodies gave them an advantage in colder climates. Their short lower leg and lower arm bones may also have given early Neanderthals an advantage when hunting.

身高和体重并没有一致地一起增加;早期的尼安德特人往往比后来的人高，但他们的体重保持不变。它们矮胖的身体使它们在寒冷的气候中具有优势。他们较短的小腿和前臂骨骼也可能使早期尼安德特人在狩猎时具有优势。

This line chart shows the average height in the U.S., compared to the tallest country, Iceland, and the shortest, Laos.

这张折线图显示了美国的平均身高，并与最高的国家冰岛和最矮的国家老挝进行了比较。

Scientists analyzed human growth patterns in different parts of the world over the last century and found height did not increase linearly. In the previous 30 years, increases in height have plateaued in high-income Western countries.

科学家们分析了上个世纪世界不同地区的人类生长模式，发现身高并没有线性增长。在过去的30年里，高收入西方国家的身高增长已经趋于稳定。

Researchers have also observed this trend among elite athletes. After increasing in the 1950s and '60s, athletes' heights have leveled off, most notably in sports that select for particularly tall players, such as basketball.

研究人员也在精英运动员中观察到了这一趋势。经过上世纪五六十年代的增长，运动员的身高已经趋于稳定，尤其是在篮球等要求特别高的运动员的项目中。

When researchers analyzed data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Study in the Philippines, they found that healthier diets with a greater variety of foods were associated with increased height in boys. Each additional 100 calories consumed daily led to significant increases in boys' heights and a slightly smaller but still significant increase in height in girls.

当研究人员分析菲律宾宿务纵向健康与营养研究的数据时，他们发现，更健康的饮食和更丰富的食物与男孩的身高增加有关。每天每多摄入100卡路里，男孩身高就会显著增加，女孩身高也会略微增加，但仍然显著增加。

However, the effects of caloric intake decreased with age. And each additional 100 calories consumed led to an increase in height for children and teens of low socioeconomic status, but not for those of higher socioeconomic status.

然而，热量摄入的影响随着年龄的增长而下降。对于社会经济地位较低的儿童和青少年来说，每多摄入100卡路里就会导致他们的身高增加，但对社会经济地位较高的儿童和青少年来说却不是这样。

One of the most influencing factors of human height is the amount of protein and minerals such as calcium and vitamin D a person gets in childhood, during their developmental years. Projected global population increases are also likely to lead to a manifold increase in the demand for animal-derived protein by 2050. Global protein consumption varies by region, making food scarcity an influencing factor in height and weight.

影响身高的最主要因素之一是一个人在童年发育时期摄入的蛋白质和钙、维生素D等矿物质的量。预计到2050年，全球人口增长也可能导致对动物源性蛋白质的需求大幅增加。全球蛋白质消费量因地区而异，使得食物短缺成为身高和体重的一个影响因素。

This bar chart shows the regional differences in height from the global average. High-income countries have much taller people on average.

这个柱状图显示了地区身高与全球平均身高的差异。高收入国家的平均身高要高得多。

Average human height in countries such as the U.S., U.K., and Japan has leveled off at around 5 feet and 10 inches (1.8 meters) over the last few decades. However, height is still increasing in places such as Latin America. These increases are likely the result of better maternal health and nutrition and greater access to health care. The findings suggest that human height may have reached a limit or a convergence point called a biological asymptote under favorable conditions.

在过去的几十年里，美国、英国和日本等国家的平均身高已经稳定在5英尺10英寸(1.8米)左右。然而，在拉丁美洲等地，身高仍在增加。这些增加可能是由于产妇保健和营养改善以及获得保健的机会增加。研究结果表明，在有利条件下，人类身高可能已经达到了一个极限或一个收敛点，称为生物渐近线。

High-income countries (listed here) are excluded from their respective region groups (this data also includes children so the global average is less than the earlier slide).

高收入国家(此处列出)被排除在各自的区域组之外(该数据还包括儿童，因此全球平均水平低于之前的幻灯片)。

Studies have examined the relationship between height and body mass index with socioeconomic status. An analysis of data from the UK Biobank published in 2016 found that lower socioeconomic status correlated with shorter stature and higher BMI, though such associations differed between the sexes.

研究调查了身高和体重指数与社会经济地位之间的关系。2016年发表的一项对英国生物银行数据的分析发现，较低的社会经济地位与较矮的身材和较高的BMI相关，尽管这种关联在性别之间存在差异。

Shorter height and lower socioeconomic status appeared to be more strongly linked for men, whereas the link between higher BMI and lower socioeconomic status was paramount for women. These findings imply that taller people, especially men, are associated with higher attainment in education, employment, and income levels. However, lower income levels are associated more closely with overweight people — and within that subset, particularly women.

对于男性来说，身高较矮和社会经济地位较低之间的联系似乎更紧密，而对于女性来说，较高的BMI和较低的社会经济地位之间的联系最为重要。这些发现表明，个子高的人，尤其是男性，在教育、就业和收入水平方面都有较高的成就。然而，较低的收入水平与超重的人联系更紧密，在这个子集中，尤其是女性。