http://news.softpedia.com/news/Europeand-Are-Taller-Than-the-Americans-49405.shtml
Amongst many other suspected factors, the Annals of Human Biology shows that the shift in growth trends could be linked to the Americans' addiction to junk food compared to the Europeans. Many specialists believe that eating habits bias the growth patterns. "We (Americans) eat a lot more preservatives and additives (than Europeans), and the food is processed differently here," said Jennifer Snyder, a marketing specialist at the University Health Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "Another reason why Americans are on average shorter than Europeans could be the result of more pollution in the air," added Snyder.
