[GenManagerS]

I remembered something about the Incas and lung capacity, so I found this:

Question: Did the native Andean people eat any distinct food which helped them to better cope with the high altitude air that they work in? ~Bob

Answer: I'm not aware of any direct link between the foods eaten in the Andes and an acclimatization to a high altitude. It is my understanding from medical people in Peru today that the average Andean Indian is born with no greater lung capacity than you or I have, but that by the time they die they may have twice the lung capacity you or I have; in other words, their adaptation to altitude entirely occurs after birth and is not genetically transmitted. As far as what effect the foods they eat would have on this, I really don't know. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/inca1/qanda.htm

I think its likely individual adaptations to different climates may be sufficient to explain the differences noted.