Paleo: Tall or Short?

[SkinnyDevil]

I heard 2 contradictory statements the other day. That anthropologists can immediately tell if human bones are those of paleolithic or neolithic period based on length. Then the mutually exclusive parts followed:

1) ...because paleolithic humans are taller, and as soon as grains were adopted, humans got shorter & less healthy.

2) ...because grain-eating gives an over abundance of cheap calories that lead to over-growth and so humans got taller (leading to all manner of back & knee problems) than paleo humans.

Anyone care to weigh in on this?

[TylerDurden]

I'm not sure. Palaeo evidence does show tall humans, yet there are modern medical claims that as we are growing ever taller, we are becoming more prone to certain illnesses.

[yon yonson]

i don't have literature to back this up but i thought it was dependent on climate. if it was hot, they tended to be taller and thinner as that allows a greater surface area for sweating and heat regulation. if it was cold, they tended to be short and stocky to conserve heat and stay warm. i would guess a medium height for those in milder climates. i don't know, makes sense to me and i know i've heard someone say this before, just don't know where.