Potato blight did not lead to stunted growth says study

AREAS hardest hit by the potato blight did not experience an expected stunting in height of the population, academic research has found.

- BY JONATHAN McCAMBRIDGE

Teams from Queen's Business School in Belfast and Edinburgh Business School have examined the impact of one of the defining events in Irish history, the Great Famine of 1845-52.

The research found that in some regions, the survivors' average adult height was comparable to - or even slightly greater than - that of individuals born before or after the famine.

Around one million people died from starvation or disease when the potato crop, the main source of food for the population, failed between 1845-52.

Another one million were forced to emigrate.

A stunting of height is usually associated with malnutrition and disease.