Abstract
The aim of this anthropometric survey, conducted between 2015 and 2016 in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), was to map local geographical differences in male stature and some other anthropometric characteristics (sitting height, arm span). In addition, to investigate the main environmental factors influencing physical growth, the documented values of height would be compared with available nutritional and socioeconomic statistics. Anthropometric data were collected in 3192 boys aged approximately 18.3 years (17–20 years), from 97 schools in 37 towns. When corrected for population size in the examined regions, the average height of young males in BiH is 181.2 cm (181.4 cm in the Bosniak-Croat Federation, 180.9 cm in Republika Srpska). The regional variation is considerable—from 179.7 cm in the region of Doboj to 184.5 cm in the region of Trebinje. These results fill a long-term gap in the anthropological research of the Western Balkans and confirm older reports that the population of the Dinaric Alps is distinguished by extraordinary physical stature. Together with the Dutch, Montenegrins and Dalmatians, men from Herzegovina (183.4 cm) can be regarded as the tallest in the world. Because both nutritional standards and socioeconomic conditions are still deeply suboptimal, the most likely explanation of this exceptional height lies in specific genetic factors associated with the spread of Y haplogroup I-M170. The genetic potential for height in this region could then be the greatest in the world. Future studies should further elucidate the roots of this intriguing phenomenon, which touches an important aspect of human biodiversity.
Highlights
The region of the Dinaric Alps has historically been renowned for the remarkable body size of its inhabitants [1,2] and from the anthropological view, it may well be the most fascinating area in the world
Male height in 43 countries of Europe and USA has a remarkable correlation with the frequency of Y haplogroup I-M170 (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), which is regarded as the genetic legacy of the Upper Paleolithic Gravettian culture
A potentially blank space remains in the region of Foca, where we found an average height of 183.1 cm, based on a mere 11 boys
Summary
The region of the Dinaric Alps has historically been renowned for the remarkable body size of its inhabitants [1,2] and from the anthropological view, it may well be the most fascinating area in the world. Bosnian soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army in 1895 were 172.4 cm tall [3] These were unusually high values in the period, when the majority of European countries barely reached 170 cm. Male height in 43 countries of Europe and USA has a remarkable correlation with the frequency of Y haplogroup (paternal lineage) I-M170 (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), which is regarded as the genetic legacy of the Upper Paleolithic Gravettian culture. This Y haplogroup has two main frequency peaks among the Germanic-speaking nations of North-Central and Northern Europe, and in the Western Balkans [5]
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