Animal Hormones to Humans

[Duncan]

My 14 yr is 6 feet and 3/4, he's the tallest in the family. Every time he goes to Church people comment on his height, personally I find it annoying like 'yeah, we know he's tall, he didn't wake up today saying, oh boy!!!!!! what the hannah's heaven is this????!' Anyways yestarday this guy in our stake said something about his height and then asked us that he knows why he's so tall and it's because the Government is jacking hormones into the food chain and it's affecting growth and they've been secretly doing this for some time now but he knows what they are up to but then left without us getting a word in edgewise. I could have easily told him that my son's two Great Grandfather's were taller men and so it isn't a huge surprise at all that he's tall. I also could have asked why were there tall people a hundred years, when the Government wasn't jacking hormones into the food chain, what do we attribute their height to? For the record my Grandpa's lived a hundred years ago. As if I don't know the answer to this question but is there any truth that animal or artificial hormones can affect human growth?

[Okrahomer]

A few years ago, I was traveling by train from Brussels to Amsterdam and struck up an interesting conversation with a college professor from the Netherlands.  I had just read an article about the Dutch having the tallest youth in the world.  The professor mentioned several theories as to the "cause", but government-sponsored hormonal supplementation was not among them.  This Huffington article pretty much mirrors what he told me.

[Duncan]

Just now, Okrahomer said:

A few years ago, I was traveling by train from Brussels to Amsterdam and struck up an interesting conversation with a college professor from the Netherlands.  I had just read an article about the Dutch having the tallest youth in the world.  The professor mentioned several theories as to the "cause", but government-sponsored hormonal supplementation was not among them.  This Huffington article pretty much mirrors what he told me.

it's funny because my Dad's Grandpa was Dutch! 

[Okrahomer]

14 minutes ago, Duncan said:

it's funny because my Dad's Grandpa was Dutch! 

One of my favorite people in the world is Flemish--i.e., about as "Dutch" as one can be, without actually being Dutch.  A wonderful Catholic lady who speaks three languages fluently (Flemish, French and English).  I feel like she actually speaks English better than I do!  She is prone to "extravagant" nationalism:  "French Fries are actually Flemish fries!"  And she often makes generalizations like these when she wants us to understand how things "work" in Europe:  

The English are the most consistent for business.

The French are all about their culture.

The Finns are just 5 million people in a big forest; and

"de Dutch:  de Dutch just don't give a damn!"

She is also quite tall.

[strappinglad]

We have quite a few Dutch farmers in my area. They usually have beautifully cared for farms and homes.  We do , however, have a saying .

 " You can always tell the Dutch, you just can't tell them much "

[The Nehor]

Yes, hormones can affect human growth and development. That is why steroids are a thing.

If the government is poisoning our food supply there should be a general increase in height. One would also ask why our evil conspiracy overlords want taller subjects.

Edited May 9, 2017 by The Nehor

[Traela]

That guy needs to visit our ward.  The kids fill the entire bell curve in height, from 99th percentile all the way down to 0th.

 

Edited May 9, 2017 by Traela

[halconero]

Sure, hormones affect growth, but not to the extent that genetics and adequate nutrition do.

There's been ample studies demonstrating that old folks who lived through the depression and rationing of the 30's and 40's are shorter in stature compared to more abundant periods afterwards.

The most commonly cited genetically predisposed population in the world are the Dutch, but there was recently a published study (which I'm too lazy to look for at the moment) showing that another group of people (in Africa if I remember correctly, particularly in Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia) are actually genetically predisposed to be even taller, but are stymied in their growth by lack of good nutrition and calories. Coincidentally, I had a mission buddy whose parents were from that region prior to migrating to the US. Both parents were hovering between 4'10" and 5'2" but he was a whopping 6'8".

[probablyHagoth7]

18 hours ago, Okrahomer said:

A few years ago, I was traveling by train from Brussels to Amsterdam and struck up an interesting conversation with a college professor from the Netherlands.  I had just read an article about the Dutch having the tallest youth in the world.  The professor mentioned several theories as to the "cause", but government-sponsored hormonal supplementation was not among them.  This Huffington article pretty much mirrors what he told me.

 

Quote

"The Dutch genes: It’s fairly well-known that pre-civilization humans were much taller than their civilized counterparts. It’s possible that the Dutch ancestors from thousands of years ago were always taller, but Dutch diet and nutrition limited how large they grew."

Yep. True on every count. 

It's not merely *a possibility* that people from that general region were taller anciently...it's established fact, per ancient histories *and* modern archaeology.

Quote

"That still leaves open the question of why the Dutch ancestors were taller than the rest, however."

How about simply considering that the region was settled anciently by large-in-stature Nephites?: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/4.31?lang=eng#p30

Edited May 9, 2017 by probablyHagoth7

[probablyHagoth7]

5 hours ago, The Nehor said:

...One would also ask why our evil conspiracy overlords want taller subjects.

? To make cherrypicking only the factiods they wish disclosed easier to reach? 

Edited May 9, 2017 by probablyHagoth7

[probablyHagoth7]

Jacob 5 attests anciently that a nethermost region of God's vineyard was one of several areas where His people would be grafted.

That being the case, is there any grand surprise that the coast of northern Europe, including the Nether-lands, would be such a place?

• The Netherlands (and surrounding areas) were a bastion of *political* freedom...anciently *and* in more modern times.
• The Netherlands offered the same with *religious* freedom to many, including Mayflower pilgrims, where they prepared spiritually and temporally for their leap across the Atlantic - to the Lehite land of promise.
• New Holland was one of the earliest stakes to help establish Europeans in North America.
• And the Dutch realm was the first to officially salute/acknowledge the American colonies as a free nation.

We can either prayerfully factor such things into consideration, or wave them (and their height) off as mere kwinkadinks/aberrations.

Edited May 9, 2017 by probablyHagoth7

[Calm]

Animal hormones in food probably get broken down in digestion, so wouldn't have an effect, though there has been quite a bit of speculations and undocumented claims for this causing earlier puberty.  More likely it is overeating of the wrong kinds of food though.

http://www.livescience.com/1824-truth-early-puberty.html