[Rob M.]

My husband and I have a disagreement. He tells me that African Americans have a slightly different muscle structure than Caucasions. I told him I have never heard of such a thing in any science or biology class. There aren't two different diagrams in the science books in our schools. Can someone put this to rest for us?

User Detail :  

Name : Rob M., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Warren, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Mother, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Marco22202]

I have a friend who said the same thing, and he happened to be a medical student. If you have access to cable, check out one of those programs on forensic medicine; they, too mention a different in bone structure between black and white men.

User Detail :  

Name : Marco22202, Gender : M, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, 

[Steve27655]

Sure....in fact there are whole semester classes in Anthropology where you can get taught the racial characteristics of bones particularly skulls. People of African orgin tend to have more sloping skulls than those from Europe. There are slight differences in muscle and tendon attachment as well. And you can find diagrams in Anthropology text books showing these differences. The same holds true of gender as well. HOWEVER, the general differences between races are actually less than the specific differences between individuals of the same race. If you look at humans across the globe, it is interesting to note that we are one of the most homogenous species out there. Most species have natural inherent variations far greater than Humans.

User Detail :  

Name : Steve27655, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Senior Corporate Slug, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Jennifer]

All peoples have different muscle structures, not just from race to race, but from ethnicity to ethnicity as well. Our bodies are part of what makes us different from each other. Search the web for physical anthropology links.

User Detail :  

Name : Jennifer, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 26, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Writer and Activist, 

[Katrina]

Like you, i took biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and anatomy in college and had never heard of african-americans having different muscle structure than caucasions. i did, however, run into the theory in an english class while we were having a discussion about african-americans and sports. according to the article (forgive me for not having the reference with me) african-americans excel at sports because of this heightened muscle structure. this premise was refuted by the author who felt that the idea stemmed from the minds of people who would rather believe that certain people are geneticaly pre-disposed to excel at certain activities. the underlying message of the article was that african-americans are naturally good at sports while caucasions must use their powers of intellect in order to compete.

User Detail :  

Name : Katrina, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 25, City : Novato, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Leslie-Butler]

I remember a movie years ago called (I think) 'Cotton comes to Harlem'. In it, two black detectives ask a black witness how come he can tell that the robbers he saw were white, seeing as they were wearing masks. 'They ran white, damn it.' Seems to me obvious that black and white muscle tone is different and and that this may even partly connect with an earlier question. What Olympic sport has no black champions? Swimming. How come? Well partly 'cos whites have smaller bums and less water-resistance.

User Detail :  

Name : Leslie-Butler, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 50, City : Stirling, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[David Williams]

I have heard about studies carried out in Canada which have indicated this. The samples seem much too small - just over 100 or so - and from a select group - to draw a conclusion for millions of people. 'Science' is not as objective as it sounds - just look at the research carried out by cigarette companies and ask yourself if how unbiased it is. Adolf Hitler believed that black people were physically inferior to whites, to the point that in the 1936 Olympics he left the stadium rather than acknowledge black medal winners. He claimed to have 'scientific' proof. But just look at how big Africa really is, and the many different black people who come from there. Try to test a representative sample for everyone from Bill Cosby, to Colin Powell, to Michael Jordan. I see so many different black people and white people, that I wonder why the question is asked. Why would someone want to prove that we must be so different? It is a silly question. Don't play the game. It IS racist.

User Detail :  

Name : David Williams, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black Caribbean/British, Religion : Christian, Age : 44, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : trainer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Monika]

I often find that black men's shoulders and chest areas are a lot broader than their white counterparts. That may have to do with genetics; it could have to do with upbringing in that most blacks are interested and participate in sports. Whatever it is, THANK GOD, because, sweetie, they are so fine!!

User Detail :  

Name : Monika, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Software Developer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Wayne C.]

I dont know about muscle structure, but there are some general differences physically. Its been awhile since I read up on these things, but Blacks tend to have a slightly higher muscle density or muscle/fat ratio (given the same overall weight when compared to a White person). There are some skeletal differnces as well. As I recall, Blacks tend to have shorter thighs and longer - well I dont know the medical term, but the part of the leg below the knee. And additional muscle tissue around the butt (quite visible). This combines to allow Blacks to run faster and jump higher. The muscle/fat ratio or muscle density (I'm not sure which) results in Whites being more -- uh, bouyant?? (spellling) so that they can more easily swim. There is a particular hip injury -- kind of a 'micro-fracture' that does not show up on x-ray, but does on MRI. Blacks rarely get this injury due to bone structure and density, but we do. My sister is a physician and saw this only once when her and another ER doctor were arguing concerning giving a patient an MRI. He was a Black male and exhibited symptons of this injury, which of course does not show up on xray. The White doctor assumed the man was faking because 'Blacks don't get that injury.' My sister was more senior and insisted upon the MRI. The fracture showed up. Also, Black women are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis (spelling again) since they don't lose their bone calcium as easily as do White women.

User Detail :  

Name : Wayne C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 41, City : Parsippany, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Marketing, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Penelope]

Within my social circle it's commonly accepted that people of African descent have an extra muscle in their buttocks, hence their supremacy in such track events as sprinting. I vaguely recall reading something to this effect also.

User Detail :  

Name : Penelope, City : Melbourne, State : NA Country : Australia, 

[Author]

Posts