The study attributes this trend to improved living conditions and reduced environmental stressors over time.

Professor Michael Wilson from the University of Minnesota described the findings as 'striking' and consistent with theories regarding reproductive constraints faced by females in mammals.

A recent study reveals that men globally have gained height and weight at twice the rate of women over the past century, resulting in increasing physical differences between the sexes.

Professor Lewis Halsey from the University of Roehampton emphasizes that this trend reflects how sexual selection and improved living conditions have influenced physical development.

Michael Wilson notes that the faster growth in male size is consistent with the idea that females face more ecological constraints due to the energetic costs of reproduction.

The study also highlights that in the context of rising obesity, increased weight does not necessarily indicate more muscle mass.

Additionally, the study found a correlation between greater height and higher earnings, but also noted that taller individuals may face increased cancer risks due to having more cells that could develop mutations.

In 1905, about one in four women was taller than the average man, but by 1958, this statistic dropped to about one in eight women.

The research team, including scientists from Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom, analyzed World Health Organization data from 2003 covering over 100,000 people across 69 countries.

Researchers analyzed data from the World Health Organization and various global authorities dating back to 1900, correlating these with the Human Development Index (HDI).

Sexual dimorphism refers to the physical differences between males and females, which can be influenced by factors such as female choice and male competition for resources.

Data from the World Bank’s Gini Index showed that higher income inequality is linked to decreased height and weight, with each unit increase in Gini associated with reduced height and weight for both sexes.