China's 18-year-old males are now the same height as American 18-year-olds.
如今中国18岁男性的平均身高，已经和美国18岁男性持平。
Let that sentence sit for a moment.
In 1985, the average Chinese boy was measurably shorter. Not marginally: substantially. The gap was the kind you could see in a crowd, feel at a doorframe, read in a population chart without squinting.
Between 1985 and 2019, Chinese men experienced the largest height increase of any nation studied. Boys aged 7 to 18 grew an average of 7.6 centimetres in three decades.
What happened in China between 1985 and 2019?
Economic reforms. Rapid urbanisation. And a diet that shifted, quite deliberately and measurably, toward more animal protein. More meat. More dairy. More eggs.
The traditional diet was rice-dominant: and rice protein, it turns out, is negatively correlated with height across populations. When Chinese families got wealthier, they bought steak. Their children grew.
This isn't a coincidence.
It's a controlled experiment that 1.4 billion people ran on themselves over thirty-five years.
And their children are now eye-level with Americans.
请先仔细体会这句话。
1985年时，中国男孩的平均身高明显更矮——不是略矮，而是差距显著。在人群中一眼就能看出来，过门框时能感觉到差别，看人口统计图表时就能发现。
1985年至2019年间，在所有被调查国家中，中国男性的身高增幅位居全球第一。7到18岁的少年儿童，三十年间平均长高了7.6厘米。
1985到2019年，中国到底发生了什么？
经济改革、快速城镇化，以及饮食结构发生了明确且显著的变化——摄入了更多动物蛋白：更多肉类、更多奶制品、更多蛋类。
传统饮食以大米为主，而研究表明，大米蛋白与人群身高呈负相关。中国家庭富裕起来后，开始吃牛排，他们的孩子也随之长高了。
这并非巧合。这是14亿人用三十五年时间，在自己身上完成的一场大型社会实验。
而他们的下一代，如今已经和美国人站在了同一高度。
以下是各国网友的评论：
Sama Hoole
"The longest-lived populations eat mostly plants."
The tallest populations eat mostly animals.
You have to pick a metric.
Choose the one that doesn't require fraudulent census records.
“寿命最长的人群，饮食以植物为主。身高最高的人群，饮食以肉类为主。你总得选一个衡量标准。选那种不用伪造统计数据就能说明问题的。”
Davidlean
The same thing happened in Japan between 1948 and 1995. Average height for 18 yo boys went from 160.6cm to 170cm, an increase of 10.6cm (4.2 inches)
1948到1995年，日本也出现了同样的情况。18岁男性平均身高从160.6厘米增长到170厘米，长高了10.6厘米。
AW
These nutrients are only found in animal foods Vitamin B12, Creatine, Carnosine, Vitamin D3, Carnitine, DHA, Heme iron, Taurine, CLA, Bio available Zinc. So it wouldn't even make sense for a vegan or vegetarian diet to result in longevity.
这些营养物质只存在于动物性食物中：维生素B12、肌酸、肌肽、D3、左旋肉碱、DHA、血红素铁、牛磺酸、共轭亚油酸、易吸收锌。所以纯素或素食饮食能让人长寿，根本说不通。
John Barrett
The longest lived populations have never mainly ate plates. Japanese diets are largely meat and seafood on a bed of rice / vegetables
所谓最长寿的人群，从来都不是只吃素食。日本人的饮食主要是肉、海鲜，搭配米饭和蔬菜。
SwamiSuperananda
The important metric is not body but mind.
Emotionally tallest organisms are vegetarian.
Greatest give away for being nonvegetarian is reduction of EQ, and with it - selfless Happiness.
Vegetarian people are most happy.
真正重要的不是身体身高，而是精神境界。内心最强大的人，往往是素食者。吃肉的人最明显的变化，就是情商下降，也失去了无私的快乐。素食者才是最快乐的。
Scott Popp DC
Actually vegans lives are shorter
事实上，纯素者的寿命更短。
Michael Cahue
Probably best to eat mostly plants after prime years
人过了壮年，最好还是以植物性饮食为主。
Salty Carolina
Here for a good time, not a long time
人生只求活得痛快，不求活得长久。
CheTungsten
To be fair, America is under 60% white. Even less so at the younger age groups.
平心而论，美国白人占比还不到60%。年轻群体里白人比例更低。
Sama Hoole
Except American height has not been shrinking.
China just caught up.
但美国人均身高并没有变矮。只是中国追上来了。
DerektheCleric
Let this sink in, fue to immigrants the average American is shorter
好好想想吧，因为移民涌入，美国人平均身高变矮了。
Sama Hoole
American height has not been shrinking.
Not everything has to be turned into some great replacement theory.
美国人均身高并没有下降。不是什么事都要往“人口替换论”上扯。
Mark Anthony Hoffman
I spent ~1 year working in China between 2012 and 2024 and although I was not typically around 18-year-olds, my observations do not match what you are saying. I am 6'1" and rarely saw anyone my height. I will attest though to Chinese now eating more protein, especially pork.
2012到2024年间，我在中国工作过一年左右。虽然不常接触18岁年轻人，但我的观察和你说的不一样。我身高1米85，很少见到和我一样高的人。不过我承认，中国人现在确实吃更多蛋白质，尤其是猪肉。
Mason Webster
Chinese don’t eat steak. Pork fish and chicken maybe but beef is still pretty uncommon and expensive
中国人不吃牛排。他们吃猪肉、鱼、鸡肉，但牛肉依然很少见，也很贵。
Dark Magician
It's because they are not Chinese, you are using Mongols to factor in your race statement.
before the Chinese were Bruce Lee, very small, from Hong Kong.
Now you are using people from Mongolia for reference.
Much bigger.
你那根本不是中国人，是把蒙古人算进去了。以前的中国人，比如香港的李小龙，个子很矮小。现在你却拿蒙古地区的人当参考，他们本来就高大得多。
Yves De Vos
"Boys aged 7 to 18 grew an average of 7.6 centimetres in three decades."
I grew 60 centimeters in just over one decade.
“7到18岁少年30年间平均长高7.6厘米。”我十几年就长了60厘米。
Papa_J
It’s so funny that people are comparing Chinese height with that of Americans when Americans don’t even care about it.
美国人根本不在乎身高，还有人拿中国和美国比身高，真好笑。
Ann Lee1
Yes, height is closely related 2 economy & nutrition.
In peaceful ancient times, Chinese male were generally taller than their Western peers.
However, during periods of war & famine, Chinese heights dropped significantly. Modern Chinese youth hv almost caught up w American peers.
没错，身高和经济、营养密切相关。古代和平时期，中国男性普遍比西方人高。但遇到战争和饥荒，身高就大幅下降。现代中国年轻人，身高已经基本追上美国同龄人。
everythingisaboutchina
It’s not just for these reasons. The chinese places great importance on eugenics and prenatal and postnatal care. In every region, community hospitals begin kee medical records for women as soon as they become pregnant and provide a full range of services,
原因不止这些。中国非常重视优生优育和孕产护理。各地社区医院在女性怀孕后就会建立档案，提供全套医疗服务。
Ann Lee
BTW, according to historical records and archaeological relics, Confucius (551–479 BC) stood about 1.90 meters tall. He was definitely considered very tall among Chinese people of his time.
顺便说一句，根据史料和考古发现，孔子身高约1米9。在他那个年代，绝对是巨人。
Zyqrex
I think it’s also because of immigration from Latin America and South Asia
我觉得还有一个原因：美国有大量拉美和南亚移民。
Martin Featherstone
Are they the same height as American 18 year olds, or the same height as 18 year olds in America?
是和美国本土18岁白人一样高，还是和住在美国的所有18岁年轻人一样高？
suibian08
Chinese are short is always a stereotype. Go to Northern and western China you will see so many tall people.
“中国人个子矮”一直是刻板印象。去中国西北看看，高个子非常多。
Alfred W Croucher
Northerners are much taller than Southerners. Are they starving down there? Try standing on a HK subway. You’re a head taller. In Beiing they’re looking over your head!
中国北方人比南方人高得多。难道南方人吃不饱吗？在香港地铁里，你能比别人高一头。在北京，别人都能越过你头顶看前方。
Erik Haalo2
Tall height in urban chinese is probably mostly due to HGH use.
中国城市年轻人长高，大概率是因为用了生长激素。
PawPrintsLegacy3
The average height of a white American male in America is roughly 5ft 10"
The average height in China of an adult male is roughly 5ft 8"
The United States is still the only REAL economic and military superpower in the world, however.
美国白人男性平均身高约1米78。中国成年男性平均身高约1米73。但美国依然是全球唯一真正的经济与军事超级大国。
MrForgotten
They’ll be looking down on the yanks soon enough
用不了多久，中国人就能俯视美国人了。
Mitohacker
The shift happened faster than genetics can explain. Mean height in a population responds to protein availability and early-life nutrition within a single generation.
China's protein consumption per capita roughly tripled between 1985 and 2020. The height convergence is a proxy for how quickly metabolic status changes when food
这种身高变化速度，用基因根本解释不了。一代人之内，蛋白质摄入和童年营养就能直接影响平均身高。1985到2020年，中国人均蛋白质摄入量翻了近三倍。身高追平，恰恰反映出饮食改善后体质提升有多快。
Brandon Brophy
Do the results change if we consider that the demographics of the USA has changed since 1985? We’ve had millions of immigrants coming in from nations with smaller average heights than the average Americans in 1985. So likelihood is China grew as America shrank
如果考虑1985年后美国人口结构变化，结论还一样吗？美国涌入了数百万移民，他们原籍国的平均身高比当年美国人更矮。所以很可能是：中国变高了，而美国“变矮”了。
Bob Johnston
I'm 6'3" but I wonder how tall I'd be if my diet growing up hadn't been shit filled with sugar, grains and vegetable oils.
我身高1米9，但我忍不住想：如果我小时候不吃那么多糖、精制谷物和植物油，说不定能更高。
AmericanTorah
State-enforced selective breeding and genetic experimentation probably had a little to do with it too.
可能也和国家层面的优生引导、相关研究有点关系。
MarketswithMay
Or… hear me out, N and W China which suffered during the tail of Mao on account of food availability normalized out. Their heights are quite a bit taller.
或者这么说吧：中国西北以前粮食短缺，后来生活恢复正常，而这些地区的人本身就偏高。
E.
Do you even begin to understand how much the demographics in America have changed since 1985
The average height of an 18 year old Chinese male is 5'9". Maybe in another 20 years they'll be able to reach the top shelf in a Midwestern Wal-Mart.
你知道1985年以来美国人口结构变化多大吗？中国18岁男性平均身高1米75。再过20年，也许他们才够得着美国中西部沃尔玛货架的最上层。
OgreShrek
That’s very true. But I have a feeling some racists might not like your post. To be honest, I’ve traveled to quite a few countries—the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and so on. As a Chinese man, I’ve never felt that Europeans or Americans are noticeably taller than us.
你说得很对。但我觉得有些种族主义者会不喜欢你这条评论。说实话，我去过很多国家：美国、加拿大、荷兰等等。作为中国男性，我从没觉得欧美人格外高。
Dina Huang
It is true. Chinese boys are so much taller than my generation 50 years ago. Thats why the American Indians were so tall and straight before the arrival of Europeans. Northern Asians are genetically tall with the right nutrition.
这是真的。现在的中国男孩比我50年前那辈高太多了。欧洲人到来之前，印第安人也高大挺拔。东亚北方人基因里就有长高潜力，只要营养跟上就行。
Geoffrey Miller
True. Most Americans who have never been to China would be astonished at how tall the young men and women are there. And I agree that it's mostly diet.
没错。大多数没去过中国的美国人，见到当地年轻男女的身高都会震惊。我也认为主要原因是饮食改善。
Kakajusaiyou4
it ia lunch at a public school in a middle-income city in Henan, China. Do you think the United States can catch up?
这是中国河南一座中等城市公立学校的午餐。你觉得美国能追得上这种营养水平吗？
Damian Chávez - Artist
If these stats are being submitted from Chinese stat takers you might wanna double check this whole thing
如果这些数据是中国方面统计的，你最好再核实一下。
The AI Index
Nutrition matters, but healthcare, environment, and genetics also shape outcomes over generations
营养很重要，但医疗、环境、基因，也会一代代影响身高。
Vania
Worth noting that tall Chinese come from northern China. The men have more defined, angular jawlines.
值得注意：中国高个子大多在北方。北方男性下颌线更清晰、脸型更立体。
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