Height, weight and food intake in man.

Certain correlations between food intake and social status, height, weight and gain of weight during pregnancy were referred to in a previous series of papers (Thomson, 1958,1959a, b). In this paper, the same data, derived from a study of pregnant women, are used to investigate further the relationships of height and weight to diet. The most interesting conclusion is that, contrary to popular belief and the implication of physiological teaching (e.g. F.A.O. : Second Committee on Calorie Requirements, 1957), heavy people do not as a rule eat much more than light people. A review of the literature suggests that this conclusion is valid also for men and for non-pregnant women.