VietNamNet Bridge - In the last three decades, the height of the Vietnamese people began to inch up, with a 1-1.5 cm increase for each 10 years. At this rate, Vietnam will take 80 years to achieve the current height of the Japanese.

Associate Professor Le Bach Mai, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, said from 1958 to 1985, the Vietnamese people did not grow in height. In the last three decades, their height rose by 1-1.5 cm per each 10 years.

"Currently, the average height of women is 1m53 and 1m64 for men - nearly 8 cm less than the Japanese. With the current growth in height, if the country does not have positive measures, it will take the Vietnamese people 80 years to be as high as the Japanese at present. That period is too long," Associate Professor Mai said.

One of the key factors affecting growth in height is the low dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D.

Four national surveys in recent years show that the volume of calcium in the diet of Vietnamese people has not changed, with only 500 mg/person/day during the years 1985-2010. The calcium-poor diets can satisfy only 57-64% of the needs of the body, resulting in severe calcium deficiency in many people.

The cause for calcium deficiency comes primarily from the source of food. Milk is a rich source of calcium, that is easily absorbed, but milk is not a normal food in Vietnam. It is only for children, the sick, and the elderly. The lack of vitamin D also affects the absorption of calcium of Vietnamese people.

Experts stressed that if there is improvement in the diet, with sufficient calcium, the height of the Vietnamese people can improve.

Thu Ly