1
|
Oxidative stress as a hidden cost of attractiveness in postmenopausal women. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21970. [PMID: 33319813 PMCID: PMC7738509 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76627-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Perceived facial attractiveness, a putative marker of high biological fitness, is costly to maintain throughout a lifetime and may cause higher oxidative stress (OS). We investigated the association between the facial features of 97 postmenopausal women and their levels of OS biomarkers 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). In study 1, 966 judges rated the composites (facial averages) of women with higher OS as more attractive, healthier, younger, and less symmetric. In study 2, Geometric Morphometric analysis did not reveal significant differences in facial morphology depending on OS levels. In study 3, measured facial averageness and symmetry were weakly negatively related to 8-OHdG levels. Maintaining higher perceived facial attractiveness may be costly due to increased oxidative damage in the postmenopausal period. These costs may remain hidden during the reproductive period of life due to the protective mechanisms of oxidative shielding and revealed only after menopause when shielding has ceased.
Collapse
|
2
|
Sancilio A, Jasienska G, Panter-Brick C, Ziomkiewicz A, Nenko I, Bribiescas RG. Accelerated senescence as a cost of reproduction: Testing associations between oxidative stress and reproductive effort in rural and urban women. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 33:e23537. [PMID: 33190335 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Oxidative stress is hypothesized to contribute to age-related somatic deterioration. Both reproductive and ecological context may necessitate tradeoffs that influence this outcome. We examined whether measures of lifetime reproductive effort were related to levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in peri- and post-menopausal women and whether associations were moderated by rural or urban residence. METHODS We surveyed 263 healthy women (age 62.1 ± 10.0 SD) from rural (N = 161) and urban Poland (N = 102), collecting sociodemographic data and urine samples to analyze biomarkers of oxidative stress (8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG) and antioxidative defense (copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, Cu-Zn SOD). Linear regression models, adjusted for residence, were used to test for associations between reproductive effort and 8-OHdG and Cu-Zn SOD. RESULTS Univariate models demonstrated significant associations between gravidity and the biomarkers of oxidative stress (8-OHdG: R2 = 0.042, P ≤ .001; Cu-Zn SOD: R2 = 0.123, P ≤ .001). Multivariate models incorporating potential confounding variables, as well as cross-product interaction terms, indicated that gravidity was associated with 8-OHdG (P < .01, R2 adj = 0.067) and Cu-Zn SOD (P = .01, R2 adj = 0.159). Residence (ie, urban vs rural) did not significantly moderate the associations between the biomarkers and reproductive effort. CONCLUSIONS Higher lifetime reproductive effort contributes to increases in oxidative stress and antioxidative defenses. Our results provide evidence of potential mechanisms underlying the physiological tradeoffs influencing senescence for women with high reproductive effort. We illustrate the value of applying an evolutionary perspective to elucidate variation in human health and senescence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Sancilio
- Center for Health and the Social Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Grazyna Jasienska
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Anna Ziomkiewicz
- Department of Anthropology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.,Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Ilona Nenko
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Jasienska G. Costs of reproduction and ageing in the human female. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190615. [PMID: 32951546 PMCID: PMC7540952 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary theories of ageing point to reproduction as a significant factor to consider when asking why ageing occurs and why there is inter-individual variation in its progression. Reproduction in human females is costly, in terms of energy, nutrients and metabolic adjustments. Thus, it is expected that women who experienced high reproductive effort resulting from multiple reproductive events will age faster. However, the evidence for long-term negative effects of reproduction is not conclusive. The lack of understanding of whether there are trade-offs between reproduction and ageing in women is partly due to methodological challenges. The costs of reproduction are often calculated based only on parity, while other elements contributing to these costs (e.g. breastfeeding, timing of reproduction) are neglected, which may significantly underestimate the total costs and obscure the all-important inter-individual variation in such costs. Costs must be evaluated in relation to individual characteristics, including developmental conditions, nutritional status and social support that a mother receives during reproduction. Furthermore, ageing and health must be assessed based on comprehensive markers rather than arbitrarily assembled variables. Finally, longitudinal rather than cross-sectional studies and new statistical approaches are needed to reveal how much of a decline in health and progressing ageing can actually be attributed to past reproductive processes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution of the primate ageing process'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grazyna Jasienska
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
Aging occurs in all sexually reproducing organisms. That is, physical degradation over time occurs from conception until death. While the life span of a species is often viewed as a benchmark of aging, the pace and intensity of physical degradation over time varies owing to environmental influences, genetics, allocation of energetic investment, and phylogenetic history. Significant variation in aging within mammals, primates, and great apes, including humans, is therefore common across species. The evolution of aging in the hominin lineage is poorly known; however, clues can be derived from the fossil record. Ongoing advances continue to shed light on the interactions between life-history variables such as reproductive effort and aging. This review presents our current understanding of the evolution of aging in humans, drawing on population variation, comparative research, trade-offs, and sex differences, as well as tissue-specific patterns of physical degradation. Implications for contemporary health challenges and the future of human evolutionary anthropology research are also discussed.
Collapse
|
5
|
Phillips SR, Goldberg TL, Muller MN, Machanda ZP, Otali E, Friant S, Carag J, Langergraber KE, Mitani JC, Wroblewski EE, Wrangham RW, Thompson ME. Faecal parasites increase with age but not reproductive effort in wild female chimpanzees. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190614. [PMID: 32951547 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Energy investment in reproduction is predicted to trade off against other necessary physiological functions like immunity, but it is unclear to what extent this impacts fitness in long-lived species. Among mammals, female primates, and especially apes, exhibit extensive periods of investment in each offspring. During this time, energy diverted to gestation and lactation is hypothesized to incur short and long-term deficits in maternal immunity and lead to accelerated ageing. We examined the relationship between reproduction and immunity, as measured by faecal parasite counts, in wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of Kibale National Park, Uganda. While we observed higher parasite shedding (counts of eggs, cysts and larvae) in pregnant chimpanzees relative to cycling females, parasites rapidly decreased during early lactation, the most energetically taxing phase of the reproductive cycle. Additionally, while our results indicate that parasite shedding increases with age, females with higher fertility for their age had lower faecal parasite counts. Such findings support the hypothesis that the relatively conservative rate of female reproduction in chimpanzees may be protective against the negative effects of reproductive effort on health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution of the primate ageing process'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - T L Goldberg
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - M N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Z P Machanda
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - E Otali
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - S Friant
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - J Carag
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - K E Langergraber
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - J C Mitani
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - E E Wroblewski
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - R W Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - M Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Sarma MS, Boyette AH, Lew-Levy S, Miegakanda V, Kilius E, Samson DR, Gettler LT. Sex differences in daily activity intensity and energy expenditure and their relationship to cortisol among BaYaka foragers from the Congo Basin. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:423-437. [PMID: 32441329 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The pooling of energetic resources and food sharing have been widely documented among hunter-gatherer societies. Much less is known about how the energetic costs of daily activities are distributed across individuals in such groups, including between women and men. Moreover, the metabolic physiological correlates of those activities and costs are relatively understudied. MATERIALS AND METHODS Here, we tracked physical activity, energy expenditure (EE), and cortisol production among Congo Basin BaYaka foragers engaged in a variety of daily subsistence activities (n = 37). Given its role in energy mobilization, we measured overall daily cortisol production and short-term cortisol reactivity through saliva sampling; we measured physical activity levels and total EE via the wGT3X-bt actigraph and heart rate monitor. RESULTS We found that there were no sex differences in likelihood of working in common activity locations (forest, garden, house). Across the day, women spent greater percentage time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (%MVPA) and had lower total EE than men. Females with higher EE (kCal/hr) produced greater cortisol throughout the day. Though not statistically significant, we also found that individuals with greater %MVPA had larger decreases in cortisol reactivity. DISCUSSION BaYaka women sustained higher levels of physical activity but incurred lower energetic costs than men, even after factoring in sex differences in body composition. Our findings suggest that the distribution of physical activity demands and costs are relevant to discussions regarding how labor is divided and community energy budgets take shape in such settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Adam H Boyette
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.,Department of Archeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Valchy Miegakanda
- Institut National de Santé Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Erica Kilius
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
| | - David R Samson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.,The Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ryan CP, Hayes MG, Lee NR, McDade TW, Jones MJ, Kobor MS, Kuzawa CW, Eisenberg DTA. Reproduction predicts shorter telomeres and epigenetic age acceleration among young adult women. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11100. [PMID: 30038336 PMCID: PMC6056536 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29486-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary theory predicts that reproduction entails costs that detract from somatic maintenance, accelerating biological aging. Despite support from studies in human and non-human animals, mechanisms linking 'costs of reproduction' (CoR) to aging are poorly understood. Human pregnancy is characterized by major alterations in metabolic regulation, oxidative stress, and immune cell proliferation. We hypothesized that these adaptations could accelerate blood-derived cellular aging. To test this hypothesis, we examined gravidity in relation to telomere length (TL, n = 821) and DNA-methylation age (DNAmAge, n = 397) in a cohort of young (20-22 year-old) Filipino women. Age-corrected TL and accelerated DNAmAge both predict age-related morbidity and mortality, and provide markers of mitotic and non-mitotic cellular aging, respectively. Consistent with theoretical predictions, TL decreased (p = 0.031) and DNAmAge increased (p = 0.007) with gravidity, a relationship that was not contingent upon resource availability. Neither biomarker was associated with subsequent fertility (both p > 0.3), broadly consistent with a causal effect of gravidity on cellular aging. Our findings provide evidence that reproduction in women carries costs in the form of accelerated aging through two independent cellular pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| | - M Geoffrey Hayes
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- Office of Population Studies Foundation Inc., Cebu City, Philippines
- Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, M5G 1Z8, Canada
| | - Meaghan J Jones
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, M5G 1Z8, Canada
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| |
Collapse
|