Is it me, or are Americans "bigger" than other countries?

I know America is the second fattest country on Earth, only to Mexico, but it also seems as if we are generally bigger. Not just in weight, but we seem generally bigger in muscle mass. I'm in France for the time being, and visited Iceland, Swtizerland, and UK. Everyone thinks I'm like 21, and when I tell them I'm still a teen they're surprised, because I'm generally more muscular than literally 95% of the adult MALES, and have as much facial hair as most; the thing about that is that more than half the guys on my varsity football team are bigger than me. Our teens just look way older too. A 15 year old here would pass for a 12 year old in the states. So far I've only seen a handful of guys who would qualify as buff.

On a side not, Iceland people are tall. I saw at least 2 guys who were over 6'10 in the airport alone, and all there women are like 5'6+.

Because you're all English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, German, etc, all descendants from tall people. I'm almost certain it's down to simple genetics.

Scans, or it didn't happen.

@pyrogram:

A boy trying to tell us all there is about the ocean after having scooped up a single glass of seawater.

Iceland got some big mofos

I'd say you're probably right about people from the states being "bigger." The US is a land of extremes. It may be one of the fattest countries, but we also harbor a wide variety of opposite extremes, like fitness nuts, bodybuilders, etc.

I believe culture also plays a part. If you look at American pop culture for the past few decades, you see that the "ideal American man" in most movies is your muscle strewn alpha male type, as opposed to the suave, charming European stereotype often portrayed. So American men saw it as the standard to set themselves to. Gotta get swole. That paradigm seems to have shifted however, and meatheads are losing their real estate in the media to more lean, compact actors. Just look at current Lobo compared to his old look as an example. Different countries obviously have different cultures, and even if American pop culture affects culture internationally, the effects aren't necessarily absolute. So if they are smaller, it could have cultural reasons.

And on top of that, the US is a genetic mixing pot. And the traits that are found favorable, which are determined both by instinct and by culture, move forward.

But when it all come down to it, other countries have their extremes too, and you can't make a proper judgement if you haven't been there long. I've never left the country, so I'm probably not the best person to confirm or deny the size difference, but hey, it wouldn't be the internet if I didn't answer questions that I'm not qualified to, right?

This made me chuckle IRL.

The two times I was in Europe I thought the Europeans were more fit, skinny and overall healthy (aside from the smoking). They were also way taller on average. I don't know about us being more muscular. I think it maybe our diets or emphasis on sports. More of our sports for example call for athletes to have lots of muscle mass. And what's the most popular sport over in Europe? Soccer.

Maybe it only looked like that to you because Americans who do work out and are fit, in this case the football team who you're probably surrounded by a lot are huge. Place an average football player from M'urica in the middle of France and yeah you'll probably be bigger in mass compared to the average Jean-Pierre.

Under the waste line my nin

I think you need to travel more.

@petey_is_spidey: The fattest country in the world in terms of percentage is neither US nor Mexico, but a Pacific country called Nauru with a 94.5% rate of overweight citizens and 71.8% obesity rate.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_Naur

Pakistan-india have bigger people with way more facial hair. You guys are mostly bigger, from the waist that is. Hehe

I've been here very summer for the past couple of years. I KNOW what I'm talking about. Its not until now that I really noticed anything though.

no

Oops, thanks for pointing that out. Learn something new everyday.

its you :P

No.

There is no rational in your observation other than you just proved once again than no conclusion could be driven from a small and biased sample size.

i've been all over the world and i can't even agree to this.

Except for the fact that the average male in America is the 3rd heaviest world wide. My sample size may be small (which it isn't) but numbers don't lie.

Because Americans eat a lot. And I wouldn't say america is the biggest.

@dum529001: They probably aren't the biggest (Icelanders and Tonga people are HUGE), but we do seem generally bigger.

@dum529001 said:

@petey_is_spidey said:

@dum529001: They probably aren't the biggest (Icelanders and Tonga people are HUGE), but we do seem generally bigger.

25 hours a day, 8 days a week.

No.

The obesity epidemic is real in the USA, that's true.

But in your initial post you stated that:

(i) "Not just in weight, but we seem generally bigger in muscle mass"

(ii) "Everyone thinks I'm like 21, and when I tell them I'm still a teen"

(iii) "more muscular than literally 95% of the adult MALES, and have as much facial hair as most"

(iv) "A 15 year old here would pass for a 12 year old in the states"

So basically, you are comparing a US teen to a European young adult (ii), then a pre-teen American to European teenager (iv).

And you conclusion is based on observation about muscle mass and facial hair (i and iii).

That's why I keep saying "No", to you.

These signs are associated with a very different biology.

So a few quick comments:

-For you comments about the teens:

*Are you confident that if you measured the plasma level of testosterone in 10,000,000 male teen Americans of 12 years old, they would be similar to 10, 000, 000 male European from France, Iceland, Swtizerland, and UK (let's not speak about the European countries you didn't visit)? That would support your hypothesis.

*Are you saying that the prevalence of precocious puberty in the USA is significantly greater than in Europe?

-For the adults: you denied that you had small and biased sample size for your observations. So if I follow you, 95% of the European male have less facial hair than you would expect. Are you confident that there is a pandemic of hormonal defect in Europe and that less than 5% are able to resist to it? Is this a genetic defect or environmental?

What genetic diseases would be able to target specifically Europeans and not Americans?

What environmental factors would be present in Europe and lacking in the USA?

Do you want me to keep going?

Bottom line: No.

Yes, obesity is a huge problem is the US and more and more in Europe (see below the abstract from a recent study)

No, a pre-teen American is not the equivalent of a European teen

No, a American teen is not the equivalent of a European young adult

BMC Public Health. 2015 May 8;15:475. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1809-z.

Country-level and individual correlates of overweight and obesity among primary school children: a cross-sectional study in seven European countries.

Olaya B, Moneta MV, Pez O, Bitfoi A, Carta MG, Eke C, Goelitz D, Keyes KM, Kuijpers R, Lesinskiene S, Mihova Z, Otten R, Fermanian C, Haro JM, Kovess V.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The present study aims to estimate childhood overweight and obesity prevalence and their association with individual and population-level correlates in Eastern and Western European countries.

METHODS:

Data were obtained from the School Children Mental Health in Europe, a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2010 in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Turkey. The sample consists of 5,206 school children aged 6 to 11 years old. Information on socio-demographics, children's height and weight, life-style and parental attitude were reported by the mothers. Country-level indicators were obtained through several data banks. Overweight and obesity in children were calculated according to the international age and gender-specific child Body Mass Index cut-off points. Multivariable logistic regression models included socio-demographic, lifestyle, mothers' attitude, and country-level indicators to examine the correlates of overweight.

RESULTS:

Overall prevalence was 15.6% (95% CI = 19.3-21.7%) for overweight and 4.9% (95% CI = 4.3-5.6%) for obesity. In overweight (including obesity), Romanian children had the highest prevalence (31.4%, 95% CI = 28.1-34.6%) and Italian the lowest (10.4%, 95% CI = 8.1-12.6%). Models in the pooled sample showed that being younger (aOR = 0.93, 95% = CI 0.87-0.97), male (aOR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.07-1.43), an only child (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.07-1.84), spending more hours per week watching TV (aOR = 1.01, 95% CI =1.002-1.03), and living in an Eastern Country were associated with greater risk of childhood overweight (including obesity). The same predictors were significantly associated with childhood overweight in the model conducted in the Eastern region, but not in the West. Higher Gross Domestic Product and Real Domestic Product, greater number of motor and passenger vehicles, higher percentage of energy available from fat, and more public sector expenditure on health were also associated with lower risk for childhood overweight after adjusting for covariables in the pooled sample and in the east of Europe, but not in the West.

CONCLUSIONS:

Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in school children is still high, especially in Eastern regions, with some socio-demographic factors and life-styles associated with being overweight. It is also in the Eastern region itself where better macro-economic indicators are related with lower rates of childhood overweight. This represents a public health concern that deserves special attention in those countries undertaking economic and political transitions.

People be jelli of freedom

@dum529001: The man said he lifts 25 hours a day and 8 days a week, and his muscle is legit. He's not lying leaving him alone

@dum529001:

My girlfriend say she doesn't like overly buff guys and I'm only 17 SO LEAVE ME ALONE "cries awhile leaving the thread"

@bullpr: Wow, you have really bad reading comprehension skills. I stated that I was more muscular than 95% of the European males I saw (I didn't actually say the saw part, so my mistake on not clarifying)m and that I had AS MUCH facial hair than MOST, not 95%. And even if I did state as such, it is not a genetic defect to have less hair; by your logic, most individuals from the native Americans have genetic defects, since they don't grow much facial hair, if any at all. I didn't state that American teens look older, just that I PERSONALLY looked older. Where did you get that from? Neither did I say that ALL, or even most 15 year olds in Europe would pass as preteens. My initial point is that, from what I've witness in the collective year+ that I've been in several countries in Europe, that generally they SEEM SMALLER in terms of MUSCLE MASS, and that ME, PERSONALLY looked older than most people my age and could pass as an adult.

I can't believe I had to break that down for you.

Oh for the past couple of years? Silly me. Allow me to correct my previous post.

"A boy trying to tell us all there is about the ocean after having scooped up a three glasses of seawater."

European are the ancestor of (most of) current US citizens, and not the native Americans, as you know it. Your comparison, was with Europeans and not with native American. Compare the facial hair of the European with Chinese for examples, and you will also notice the differences.

No, your comments were American versus European.

The differences you described in your OP could be, in theory, the csq of genetic defects appeared the last few centuries, or of environmental differences. And obviously it is not the case.

I'm really sorry to tell you that, but these differences are FALSE, they are due to your own, small and bias sample size. They have no reality.

One of the first lesson I learned in statistic (more than 20 years ago now, in France) was the following anecdote:

"A French student travel in Europe with a layover in England. In London, he sees a red-hair girl.

Back in France, he says to his friends: "you know what, it is true. There are only redhead people in England".

Well, now in 2015, in a virtual forum about comic books, I find you. Thank you.

My students are mostly medical students and biologists, but most have also some training in statistics. With you help, I can have now my own anecdote to start a lecture.

Thanks again.

I think there is some truth to it. For one, I think weightlifting is more prevalent in the us than in most areas of the world. I think you find areas where men are taller as well. I have an uncle for instance(by marriage) whose sister has lived in Europe(Luxoumberg) pretty much her entire life and still does and whose daughter is into horses so goes to some horse related event in Dallas every year and they are both amazed at how tall and big the men in Texas are. I just happen to have met her when she came over to visit my uncle and so heard her tell this story. I think men above 6-2 are more rare in most parts of Europe than they are generally in the us. Then you have also tribes in Africa where men are regularly above 6-6. So its not that the us has a corner on height but I think compared to most parts of the world it is true including most of Europe. Especially compared to Asia.

Its normal... À continent is bigger than a solo country.

Pilasy:La Voix d'un homme

Is it me, or are Americans "bigger" than other countries?

I don't think it's possible to be fatter than another country.

Most of the statements were incorrect

lol fatties

Sad. It seems as if you are good in statistics but horrible in reading comprehension.

No.

It seems that you really want to have the last word. I'm sorry, but here you won't have it.

Let's try again: your title and your first message were clearly about a comparison between American in general and European in general with a focus on the muscle mass, but not only. An example of general sentence that you used: "15 year old here would pass for a 12 year old in the states."

As I hate these simplifications, and biased conclusions, I answered (Post 20):

"There is no rational in your observation other than you just proved once again than no conclusion could be driven from a small and biased sample size."

At this moment you could have move on, but you tried to convince me, using what I can assume you sincerely thought was a scientific argument:

"Numbers don't lie", and the complete sentence (Post 22): "Except for the fact that the average male in America is the 3rd heaviest world wide. My sample size may be small (which it isn't) but numbers don't lie."

You were referring to study about the Body Mass Index (BMI), and therefore used data about the Obesity epidemic in the states to support your conclusion about "American having more muscle mass than European".

You used, "numbers don't lie" while referring to a whole population not to your specific case.

Now, in a more recent post (Post 36), you claim that I misunderstood you and that you were speaking only about yourself, and even retroactively revised your initial post:

"I stated that I was more muscular than 95% of the European males I saw (I didn't actually say the saw part, so my mistake on not clarifying)"

It's better. But you are still not there yet.

1) Yes, overall I think you have improved your position with a clear acknowledgement of your initial bias:

-European part: now you want to limit your conclusion only to what you saw

-American part: you are talking only about yourself now

2) Unfortunately, you are still defensive, and trying to have the last word

However, this result is good enough for me. I won't change your personality, but I hope you learned now that you can't extrapolate from your observations to a general conclusion and for this case in particular, that no, at the country scale (not at your own scale) there are no difference in muscular mass, facial hair, aspect of 12 and 15 years old kids etc... between the USA and the European countries you have visited.

I've yet to meet a single American who is bigger than an entire country.

@jonez120: They're quite a rare breed. I've only seen pictures on the internet.