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Dutch reach new heights as growth spurt continues

Most of us are taller than our parents, who probably are taller than their parents. But in the Netherlands, the generational progression has reached new heights.

In the last 150 years, the Dutch have grown from a nondescript breed to become the tallest people on earth -- and experts say they are still growing.

The study of Dutch height over the centuries offers a tale of the nation's health and wealth.

Prosperity, widely spread across what was even then becoming an egalitarian society, propelled the collective growth spurt that began in the mid-1800s and was only interrupted during the harsh years of Nazi occupation in the 1940s -- when average heights shrank.

With their protein-rich diet and a national health service that pampers kids, the Dutch are standing taller than ever, and height itself has become an issue of social policy requiring the intervention of government and private business.

Ask Pieter Gijselaar about the problems of the very tall.

At 2.1m, he spends much of his life ducking through doorways and guarding against minor head injuries. An economy class flier, he can only sit in an airliner's emergency exit row. He had to have the seat of his Volkswagen Golf specially fitted and blocks put under the legs to raise his office desk.

But Gijselaar, a 28-year-old real estate agent, says he has it easier than his father -- a mere 1.95m -- an indication of how far the Dutch have come in recognizing their unusual stature.

Though people tend to stare, Gijselaar says being head, shoulders and trunk above everyone else makes an impression.

"People don't forget me. If you meet me a year from now, you'll remember who I am," he said.

The average Dutchman stands 1.84m, while women average 1.7m.

But plenty of people are a lot taller. So many, in fact, that four years ago the government adjusted building codes to raise the standards for door frames and ceilings by 20cm. Doors must now be 2.3m high.

For years, Royal Dutch KLM, the national air carrier, had an agreement with the Tall People's Club to give preference to club members for its front seats with extra leg room. The airline scrapped the deal last year after complaints of discrimination by more normal sized people, said the club's spokesman, Paul van Sprundel.

The 50-year-old club has a membership of 2,000 individuals and families, or about 4,500 people including children of tall couples. But Van Sprundel said the requirements are minimal to conform with similar clubs in other countries -- 1.9m for men, 1.8m for women.

As lifestyles improve, Maat projects the average height of a Dutch male could reach 1.9m within the next 50 years, if the upward trend continues. The influx of immigrants from North Africa may slow the growth rate, but their children could catch up in a few generations.

But wealth doesn't explain everything. Scandinavians, who were the world's tallest people before World War II, stopped growing, apparently hitting their genetic glass ceiling.

But the Dutch are still looking for their limit.

"Since we are still on the move, we don't know where it's going to end. It's upward, yes, but how far upward we don't know," he said.
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