Economics and Human Biology 2 (2004) 57–74
From the tallest to (one of) the fattest: the enigmatic fate of the
American population in the 20th century
John Komlos*, Marieluise Baur

Department of Economics, University of Munich, Ludwigstr. 33/IV, Munich
80539, Germany
Received 8 December 2003; received in revised form 8 December 2003;
accepted 8 December 2003

Abstract
Within the course of the 20th century the American population went through
a virtual metamorphosis
from being the tallest in the world, to being among the most overweight.
The American
height advantage over Western and Northern Europeans was between 3 and 9 cm
in mid-19th century,
and Americans tended to be underweight. However, today, the exact opposite
is the case as
the Dutch, Swedes, and Norwegians are the tallest, and the Danes, British
and Germans—even the
East-Germans—are also taller, towering over the Americans by as much as 3–7
cm. Americans also
have shorter lives. The hypothesis is worth considering that this adverse
development is related
to the greater social inequality, an inferior health care system, and fewer
social safety nets in the
United States than inWestern and Northern Europe, in spite of higher per
capita income. TheWestern
and Northern European welfare states, with cradle to grave health and
unemployment insurance
currently seems to provide a more propitious environment for the biological
standard of living than
its US counterpart

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