Scientists try to answer why Dutch people are so tall

Average height of a male in the Netherlands has gained 20 cm (eight inches) in the last 150 years, according to military records

The Netherlands is the land of giants: on average, its women stand almost 1.71 metres (5.6 feet) tall, and its men 1.84 metres.

But how the Dutch became the world's tallest people has been somewhat of a mystery. After all, two centuries ago they were renowned for being among the shortest. What happened since then?