# Is it just me or are Asian people in the US getting bigger? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373 "2005-08-24T02:25:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/1 "2005-08-24T02:25:08Z")
For some reason this summer I have seen a goodly number of 6 foot plus teenage Asian boys lumbering around. I think they are mostly Chinese and Korean and they are usually considerably bigger than their parents. Are US citizens of Asian ancestery getting bigger than before or is this just some influx of Asians that are larger (ie Koreans & Northern Chinese) to begin with than the Asian immigrant groups that came earlier? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/2 "2005-08-24T02:41:00Z")
It’s not just your imagination. Immigrants from many parts of Asia are noticebly shorter than their American counterparts at the time of immigration. This is due to diet and overall health. However, children of those immigrants will show growth similar to that of all kids with some growing well above average as their lifestyle and living standards move to the norm. [http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/growthcharts/training/powerpoint/slides/012.htm](http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/growthcharts/training/powerpoint/slides/012.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/3 "2005-08-24T02:55:37Z")
I’m asian. I felt like a giant in China(admittedly, I went to an exceedingly poor area) and i’m only 5 8! ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/4 "2005-08-24T03:15:56Z")
Anecdotal data: my wife’s parents (raised in Vietnam) are 5’3" and 4’10", but their kids (raised in the U.S.) are 5’6" and 5’9". Nutrition has a lot to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/5 "2005-08-24T03:58:06Z")
I bought a DVD of Playboy Asian Girls (or some such) my Filipino say they are the biggest asian women they have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/6 "2005-08-24T07:52:11Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > I bought a DVD of Playboy Asian Girls (or some such) my Filipino say they are the biggest asian women they have ever seen. You’ve got your own Filipino? You lucky SOB! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/7 "2005-08-24T11:46:12Z")
(I was typing without coffee! Always a mistake.) I had a party for my Filipino friends. They thought the girls in the video were very California-looking. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/8 "2005-08-24T12:15:09Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > It’s not just your imagination. Immigrants from many parts of Asia are noticebly shorter than their American counterparts at the time of immigration. This is due to diet and overall health. However, children of those immigrants will show growth similar to that of all kids with some growing well above average as their lifestyle and living standards move to the norm. > > [http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/growthcharts/training/powerpoint/slides/012.htm](http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/growthcharts/training/powerpoint/slides/012.htm) When I’m in Thailand I notice that a lot of the younger people on the skytrain are very tall. Not as tall as the Australians, who seem to be mix-breeding with skyscrapers, but very tall especially compared to their parents whom they’re frequently travelling with. It’s my belief (although scientifically unsubstantiated), that at least a certain segment of the Thai population has been nutritionally affected by the creep of non-native dietary items like hamburgers, pizza, steak, sushi and ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/9 "2005-08-24T13:02:59Z")
My SO is Chinese, and he towers at just under 6 feet. I love it. His family was shocked, but happy . ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/10 "2005-08-24T13:19:30Z")
[Here is pretty interesting article](http://www.sumitomo.gr.jp/english/discoveries/special/84_01.html) about the changes in body size/shape in the Japanese population. It notes that the average height of 17 year old males has increased from 157.9 centimeters in 1900 to 170.8 centimeters in 2000. (That’s from 5’2" to 5’7" for non-metric dopers.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/11 "2005-08-24T17:45:40Z")
I have an uncle who was born in Spain and grew up dirt-poor and starving under Franco. He’s about five foot nuthin’. His son, born and raised in America, is six-one or six-two. It’s all about good nutrition when you’re a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/12 "2005-08-24T19:27:45Z")
Well, I have been hitting the gym. Thanks for noticing. 😉 Seriously, though, my folks are about 5’0" (my dad was about 5’1", my mom may be 4’11"), and I’m about 5’5" so it’s a noticeable difference. My dad grew up on a ranch, so I’m guessing he had a pretty good diet growing up, but I think my diet was better, and more well-rounded. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/13 "2005-08-24T19:55:27Z")
My guess is that the kids had more milk (calcium) growing up, which leads to taller growth…? ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/14 "2005-08-24T23:25:39Z")
> [@RandomLetters](#): > > [Here is pretty interesting article](http://www.sumitomo.gr.jp/english/discoveries/special/84_01.html) about the changes in body size/shape in the Japanese population. It notes that the average height of 17 year old males has increased from 157.9 centimeters in 1900 to 170.8 centimeters in 2000. (That’s from 5’2" to 5’7" for non-metric dopers.) They have a [similar chart on display](http://www.flickr.com/photos/solgrundy/35997258/in/set-768987/) at Tokyo Tower. I can’t read Japanese, so I don’t know what that one in particular said. But a friend in the JET program said that the gradual height increase among Japanese people living in Japan was due to the introduction of school milk programs. I’d imagine that it’s the same thing that’s going on in the US. ---
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/15 "2005-08-25T00:08:46Z")
Moved to the States from Korea when I was 4. Now I’m 6’, 220lb. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/16 "2005-08-25T02:57:32Z")
The fun one is the 6’ tall Japanese chicks. Maybe it’s because of the shared, and uncommon, height but anytime you see one it will be in a grouping of three or four friends. Quite droolable. (6’1" here) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/17 "2005-08-25T13:39:00Z")
It’s possible that Asian kids who grow up in America are taller than they would have been if they’d grown up in their ancestral homelands. But bear in mind, Asia in general (and China in particular) is a huge continent with billions of people, which means that even if the average Asian (or the average Chinese male) is short, there are bound to be plenty of Yao Mings, too. One of my few Chinese-American friends (a guy who grew up in upstate New York) is 6’2", just 2 inches shorter than me. Like almost everybody, I expressed some surprise at his height. He said (I can’t vouch that this is true, but it’s certainly plausible) that height varies quite a bit in different regions of China, and that in the region his parents came from, tall people were very common. Again, China is a BIG place- geographically, it’s larger than the U.S. and has far more people, so it’s bound to have all kinds of people. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/18 "2005-08-25T14:19:50Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > When I’m in Thailand I notice that a lot of the younger people on the skytrain are very tall. Not as tall as the Australians, who seem to be mix-breeding with skyscrapers, but very tall especially compared to their parents whom they’re frequently travelling with. It’s my belief (although scientifically unsubstantiated), that at least a certain segment of the Thai population has been nutritionally affected by the creep of non-native dietary items like hamburgers, pizza, steak, sushi and ice cream. My husband said the same thing about Thai women. He referred to them as Amazon-like (he’s 5’9") ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/19 "2005-08-25T15:01:52Z")
If this phenomenon is evident in America, it begs the question; [Are Asians in The Netherlands even taller](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=267771)? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373/20 "2005-08-25T17:13:42Z")
_“… my Filipino say…”_ Jaysus, that made me laugh! 😃 Another voice checking in to say several credible publications read have suggested the reason was correcting dietary deficiencies. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-are-asian-people-in-the-us-getting-bigger/318373.md?page=2)