The maximum height to which a person can grow is dictated by his or her genes-and our basic genetic make-up has not changed with the passage of time.
How tall people actually become depends above all on living conditions during childhood and adolescence. In the past 120 yrars, the average height of Europe’s population has steadily increased because living conditions have improved considerably over that period. Development in pevious centuries tended to occur in waves. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, for example, when the climate was mild, food plentiful and the population density low, men were about 173 cm tall, almost the same as they are today. Because of poor nutrition, a dense population and an increased risk of infectious disease, average height subsequently decreased until, in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was only 167 cm.
