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Kirchengast S. Changes in weight status among "Ju/'hoansi" San hunter-gatherers between 1968/69 and 1987-The effects of nutritional transition, sex and age. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24935. [PMID: 38572687 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in lifestyle and dietary habits that hunter-gatherer populations have undergone in recent decades have often led to rising obesity rates with disastrous consequences for their health. OBJECTIVES The associations between dietary habits and weight status were studied in 238 "Ju/'hoansi" San (93 women and 145 men) aged between 18 and 65 years in northern Namibia in 1987. Weight status was estimated based on the World Health Organization body mass index (BMI) categories, and dietary habits were recorded using food recall methods. Anthropometrics and weight status were compared with those of a sex- and age-matched sample of "Ju/'hoansi" San people collected by Nancy Howell in 1968/69. RESULTS Body weight had increased significantly among "Ju/'hoansi" San people from 1968/69 to 1987. The number of underweight people decreased from 1968/69 to 1987. In 1987, most participants (60.9%) were of normal weight. Overweight was found in 1.3% of the women, but not among men. No participants were obese. Less than 4% of the women and less than 2% of the men consumed exclusively traditional hunter-gatherer food. Westernized food products were significantly (p < 0.001) more common among men and younger people. Dietary patterns were significantly associated with weight status. The less traditional the diet, the higher the BMI (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The transition to domestic agricultural and westernized foods was positively associated with increasing BMI. Overweight, however, was still an extremely rare condition in this population in 1987.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Kirchengast
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Wenger LP, Hamm O, Mühle C, Hoffmann S, Reinhard I, Bach P, Kornhuber J, Alpers GW, Kiefer F, Leménager T, Lenz B. Alcohol does not influence trust in others or oxytocin, but increases positive affect and risk-taking: a randomized, controlled, within-subject trial. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 274:311-320. [PMID: 37707566 PMCID: PMC10914917 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01676-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol consumption to facilitate social interaction is an important drinking motive. Here, we tested whether alcohol influences trust in others via modulation of oxytocin and/or androgens. We also aimed at confirming previously shown alcohol effects on positive affect and risk-taking, because of their role in facilitating social interaction. METHODS This randomized, controlled, within-subject, parallel group, alcohol-challenge experiment investigated the effects of alcohol (versus water, both mixed with orange juice) on perceived trustworthiness via salivary oxytocin (primary and secondary endpoint) as well as testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, positive affect, and risk-taking (additional endpoints). We compared 56 male participants in the alcohol condition (1.07 ± 0.18 per mille blood alcohol concentration) with 20 in the control condition. RESULTS The group (alcohol versus control condition) × time (before [versus during] versus after drinking) interactions were not significantly associated with perceived trustworthiness (η2 < 0.001) or oxytocin (η2 = 0.003). Bayes factors provided also substantial evidence for the absence of these effects (BF01 = 3.65; BF01 = 7.53). The group × time interactions were related to dihydrotestosterone (η2 = 0.018 with an increase in the control condition) as well as positive affect and risk-taking (η2 = 0.027 and 0.007 with increases in the alcohol condition), but not significantly to testosterone. DISCUSSION The results do not verify alcohol effects on perceived trustworthiness or oxytocin in male individuals. However, they indicate that alcohol (versus control) might inhibit an increase in dihydrotestosterone and confirm that alcohol amplifies positive affect and risk-taking. This provides novel mechanistic insight into social facilitation as an alcohol-drinking motive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard P Wenger
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Oliver Hamm
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christiane Mühle
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sabine Hoffmann
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Iris Reinhard
- Department of Biostatistics, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Patrick Bach
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Johannes Kornhuber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Georg W Alpers
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Falk Kiefer
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tagrid Leménager
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Bernd Lenz
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
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Urlacher SS, Kim EY, Luan T, Young LJ, Adjetey B. Minimally invasive biomarkers in human and non-human primate evolutionary biology: Tools for understanding variation and adaptation. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23811. [PMID: 36205445 PMCID: PMC9787651 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of minimally invasive biomarkers (MIBs - physiological biomarkers obtained from minimally invasive sample types) has expanded rapidly in science and medicine over the past several decades. The MIB approach is a methodological strength in the field of human and non-human primate evolutionary biology (HEB). Among humans and our closest relatives, MIBs provide unique opportunities to document phenotypic variation and to operationalize evolutionary hypotheses. AIMS This paper overviews the use of MIBs in HEB. Our objectives are to (1) highlight key research topics which successfully implement MIBs, (2) identify promising yet under-investigated areas of MIB application, and (3) discuss current challenges in MIB research, with suggestions for advancing the field. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS A range of MIBs are used to investigate focal topics in HEB, including energetics and life history variation/evolution, developmental plasticity, and social status and dominance relationships. Nonetheless, we identify gaps in existing MIB research on traits such as physical growth and gut function that are central to the field. Several challenges remain for HEB research using MIBs, including the need for additional biomarkers and methods of assessment, robust validations, and approaches that are standardized across labs and research groups. Importantly, researchers must provide better support for adaptation and fitness effects in hypothesis testing (e.g., by obtaining complementary measures of energy expenditure, demonstrating redundancy of function, and performing lifetime/longitudinal analyses). We point to continued progress in the use of MIBs in HEB to better understand the past, present, and future of humans and our closest primate relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S. Urlacher
- Department of AnthropologyBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Child and Brain Development ProgramCIFARTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elizabeth Y. Kim
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Department of BiologyBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Tiffany Luan
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Lauren J. Young
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Brian Adjetey
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
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Alvarado LC, Valeggia CR, Ellison PT, Lewarch CL, Muller MN. A Comparison of men’s Life History, Aging, and Testosterone Levels among Datoga Pastoralists, Hadza Foragers, and Qom Transitional Foragers. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-019-00116-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Hodges-Simeon CR, Asif S, Gurven M, Blackwell AD, Gaulin SJC. Testosterone is positively and estradiol negatively associated with mucosal immunity in Amazonian adolescents. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 31:e23284. [PMID: 31273877 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES A core assumption of life history theory and the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) is that testosterone (T) upregulates energetic investment in mating effort at the expense of immunity. This tenet, along with observed positive relationships between estrogens and immunity, may contribute to the higher observed morbidity and mortality of males. In the present study, we examine the association between sex steroid hormones and mucosal immunity as well as sex differences in immunity in a rural Amazonian population of immune-challenged Bolivian adolescents. METHODS Salivary steroid hormones (T [males only] and estradiol [E2 , females only]), Tsimane-specific age-standardized BMI z-scores, and salivary mucosal immunity (sIgA, secretory IgA) were measured in 89 adolescent males and females. RESULTS Males had significantly higher sIgA levels than females, which may be due to the observed immune-endocrine associations found in the present study. Controlling for age and phenotypic condition, higher T significantly predicted higher sIgA; whereas higher E2 was associated with lower sIgA in females. CONCLUSIONS Results stood in contrast to common interpretations of the ICHH, that is, that T should be inversely associated with immunity. Findings from the present study support the notion that the endocrine system likely affects immunity in a regulatory fashion, upregulating certain aspects of immunity while downregulating others. An important remaining question is the adaptive reason(s) for sex differences in endocrine-mediated immuno-redistribution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Soubhana Asif
- Department of Anthropology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Aaron D Blackwell
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California.,Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Pullman, Washington
| | - Steven J C Gaulin
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
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Asymmetry patterns are associated with body size and somatic robustness among adult !Kung San and Kavango people. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REVIEW 2019. [DOI: 10.2478/anre-2019-0004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Asymmetry of bilateral anatomical structures is widely found in nature. Fluctuating asymmetry, i.e. mostly tiny random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral structures, is mainly interpreted within the framework of developmental instability. This interpretation is mainly due to the fact, that higher fluctuating asymmetry is often found in association with various pathological conditions but also from increased stress during somatic development. Directional asymmetry, in contrast, describes a distinct pattern of bilateral variation in a group of individuals, characterized by the tendency to find the larger side mainly at the same side for all individuals. This kind of asymmetry is mostly caused by behavioral lateralization. Somatic stress during development affect not only asymmetry patterns, it is has also an adverse effect on somatic growth. Therefore, the present study tested the hypothesis, that increased asymmetry is associated with decreased body height as well as postcranial length and robustness dimensions. The association patterns between fluctuating as well as directional asymmetry and parameters of somatic growth and robustness are analyzed among 236 !Kung San and 248 Kavango people of Namibia between the ages of 18 and 65 years. Fluctuating asymmetry was determined by ear length and ear breadth. Directional asymmetry was determined by hand length and hand breadth dimensions. Fluctuating as well as directional asymmetry correlated significantly negatively with body height and length dimensions, the correlations however, were weak. The results are interpreted as a corroboration of the theory that developmental stress may increase fluctuating asymmetry but on the other hand may decrease body size.
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Androgen Levels and Body Size Are Associated with Directional as Well as Fluctuating Asymmetry Patterns in Adult !Kung San and Kavango Males from Northern Namibia. Symmetry (Basel) 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/sym9050072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Kirchengast S. Directional and fluctuating asymmetry among !Kung San and Kavango people of Northern Namibia: The impact of sex and subsistence patterns. Am J Hum Biol 2016; 29. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Alvarado LC. Do evolutionary life-history trade-offs influence prostate cancer risk? a review of population variation in testosterone levels and prostate cancer disparities. Evol Appl 2013; 6:117-33. [PMID: 23396824 PMCID: PMC3567477 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2012] [Revised: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
An accumulation of evidence suggests that increased exposure to androgens is associated with prostate cancer risk. The unrestricted energy budget that is typical of Western diets represents a novel departure from the conditions in which men's steroid physiology evolved and is capable of supporting distinctly elevated testosterone levels. Although nutritional constraints likely underlie divergent patterns of testosterone secretion between Westernized and non-Western men, considerable variability exists in men's testosterone levels and prostate cancer rates within Westernized populations. Here, I use evolutionary life history theory as a framework to examine prostate cancer risk. Life history theory posits trade-offs between investment in early reproduction and long-term survival. One corollary of life history theory is the 'challenge hypothesis', which predicts that males augment testosterone levels in response to intrasexual competition occurring within reproductive contexts. Understanding men's evolved steroid physiology may contribute toward understanding susceptibility to prostate cancer. Among well-nourished populations of Westerners, men's testosterone levels already represent an outlier of cross-cultural variation. I hypothesize that Westernized men in aggressive social environments, characterized by intense male-male competition, will further augment testosterone production aggravating prostate cancer risk.
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Bribiescas RG, Hill KR. Circadian variation in salivary testosterone across age classes in Ache Amerindian males of Paraguay. Am J Hum Biol 2010; 22:216-20. [PMID: 19957265 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.21012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Testosterone levels exhibit a circadian rhythm in healthy men, with morning levels tending to be higher compared to evening titers. However, circadian rhythms wane with age. Although this has been described in males living within industrialized settings, age-related changes have not received similar attention in populations outside these contexts. Because many nonindustrialized populations, such as Ache Amerindians of Paraguay, exhibit testosterone levels that are lower than what is commonly reported in the clinical literature and lack age-associated variation in testosterone, it was hypothesized that Ache men would not show age-related variation in testosterone circadian rhythms. Diurnal rhythmicity in testosterone within and between Ache men in association with age (n = 52; age range, 18-64) was therefore examined. A significant negative association was evident between the ratio of morning and evening salivary testosterone and age (r = -0.28, P = 0.04). Men in their third decade of life exhibited significant diurnal variation (P = 0.0003), whereas older and younger age classes did not. Men between the ages of 30 and 39 also exhibited a higher AM:PM testosterone ratio compared to 40-49 and 50< year old men (P = 0.002, 0.006). Overall, declines in testosterone with aging may not be universal among human males, however, within-individual analyses of diurnal variation capture age-related contrasts in daily testosterone fluctuations. Circadian rhythmicity differs with age among the Ache and may be a common aspect of reproductive senescence among men regardless of ecological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard G Bribiescas
- Reproductive Ecology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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11
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Muehlenbein MP. Adaptive variation in testosterone levels in response to immune activation: empirical and theoretical perspectives. SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2006; 53:13-23. [PMID: 21516947 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2006.9989113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
High testosterone levels reflect investment in male reproductive effort through the ability to produce and maintain muscle tissue and thus augment mate attraction and competitive ability. However, high testosterone levels can also compromise survivorship by increasing risk of prostate cancer, production of oxygen radicals, risk of injury due to hormonally-augmented behaviors such as aggression, violence and risk taking, reduced tissue and organ maintenance, negative energy balance from adipose tissue catabolism, and suppression of immune functions. Here, I briefly discuss how inter- and intra-individual variation in human male testosterone levels is likely an adaptive mechanism that facilitates the allocation of metabolic resources, particularly in response to injury, illness or otherwise immune activation. Maintaining low testosterone levels in resource-limited and/or high pathogen-risk environments may avoid some immunosuppression and suspend energetically-expensive anabolic functions. Augmenting testosterone levels in the presence of fertile and receptive mates, areas of high food resource availability, and low disease risk habitats will function to maximize lifetime reproductive success.
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Muller MN, Wrangham RW. Testosterone and energetics in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Am J Primatol 2005; 66:119-30. [PMID: 15940710 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.20132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian function in female hominoids is sensitive to both energy flux and energy balance, resulting in a reduced probability of conception during periods when a successful reproductive outcome is less likely. However, the extent to which energetic factors constrain gonadal function in male hominoids is not clear. We examined the effects of both acute and chronic variation in energy availability on urinary testosterone (T) levels in adult male chimpanzees. Acute changes in energy availability, which were assayed by means of observational data on feeding behavior, did not result in decreased T production for 11 individuals at Kibale National Park, Uganda. Chronic energy shortages, on the other hand, may be associated with lower T levels in this population. Adult males in Kibale (n=11), who maintain suboptimal access to energy, exhibit significantly lower urinary T levels than males in captivity (n=11), who are more sedentary and better fed. These results suggest that data on hormonal function in captive chimpanzees should be interpreted with caution because individuals may produce T at levels well above those that are typical in the wild. They also suggest that short-term variations in T levels in male hominoids are more likely to be explained by social factors than by energetic ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Muehlenbein MP, Bribiescas RG. Testosterone-mediated immune functions and male life histories. Am J Hum Biol 2005; 17:527-58. [PMID: 16136532 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.20419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 328] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in human life history theory have provided new insights into the potential selection pressures that were instrumental in the evolution of human and non-human primate males. However, gaps remain in our understanding of how primate males regulate and allocate energetic resources between survivorship and reproductive effort. Defense against parasitic infection is an important force shaping life history evolution. Proper performance of immunological responses against infection is influenced by many physiological systems, including metabolic, reproductive, and stress hormones. Because androgens influence and modulate immune, reproductive, and somatic metabolic functions, assessing changes in testosterone and immune factors during infection may yield insight into male physiological ecology. In this review, we examine male life history trade-offs between immune and reproductive endocrine functions as well as provide a comprehensive review of testosterone-immunocompetence relationships. Emphasis is placed on testosterone because it is a primary hormone shown to be crucial to energy-allocation processes in vertebrates. Non-primate species have been used more extensively in this research than humans or non-human primates, and therefore this extensive literature is organized and reviewed in order to better understand potential parallel relationships in primates, especially humans. Furthermore, we attempt to reconcile the many inconsistent results obtained from field studies on immune-endocrine interactions as well as detail various methodologies that may be used to forward this research in evolutionary anthropology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Muehlenbein
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Physiology and Parasitology, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, USA.
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Bribiescas RG. Age-related differences in serum gonadotropin (FSH and LH), salivary testosterone, and 17-? estradiol levels among Ache Amerindian males of Paraguay. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2005; 127:114-21. [PMID: 15503339 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Age-related differences in serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), salivary testosterone, and 17-beta estradiol levels are reported for Ache Amerindian males (n = 17; mean age, 37.1 +/- 14.2 SD) of Paraguay in order to explore population variation in patterns of male reproductive senescence in a foraging/agricultural community. Hormone associations were examined to test various hypotheses for age-related differences in hypothalamic-pituitary function. Significant increases in FSH (r = 0.75, P < 0.0005) and LH (r = 0.65, P < 0.01) were noted in association with aging. No significant correlation was observed between morning or evening testosterone and age. Morning and evening estradiol levels were associated with morning and evening testosterone, respectively (morning, r = 0.53, P = 0.05; evening, r = 0.63, P = 0.02). Evening estradiol was also positively associated with LH (r = 0.66, P = 0.02), suggesting testicular production to be an important source of circulating estradiol. Morning estradiol tended to rise with age, but was not significant (r = 0.39, P = 0.15). Anthropometric measurements of height, weight, body mass index, and fat percent did not change significantly with age. In contrast to testosterone, age-related differences in gonadotropin levels may be independent of energetic status, less variant, and more universal among male populations. Implications for gonadotropin function and aging on human male reproductive senescence and life histories are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard G Bribiescas
- Reproductive Ecology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8277, USA.
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Campbell B, O'Rourke MT, Lipson SF. Salivary testosterone and body composition among Ariaal males. Am J Hum Biol 2003; 15:697-708. [PMID: 12953182 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.10203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
To determine if testosterone is negatively related to acute and/or chronic nutritional status among men in a subsistence society, saliva samples and anthropometric measures were compared among nomadic and settled Ariaal pastoralists of northern Kenya. Fifty-six nomadic men and 62 settled men facing drought conditions, estimated ages 22-96 years, were sampled. Measures included height, weight, four skinfolds, and %body fat by bioelectric impedance (BIA). Saliva samples were assayed for testosterone using radioimmunoassay. Overall, both body mass index (BMI) (avg. = 17.8 +/- 6.0 kg/m(2)) and salivary testosterone (T) levels (avg. am value = 176.8 +/- 74.8 pmol/l) were low compared to values from Western populations. Comparison of the two subpopulations revealed no significant difference in height, weight, BMI, or lean body mass. However, nomadic males exhibited significantly smaller skinfolds. Evening, but not morning, salivary T values differed between the subpopulations. Age-related changes in body composition included a significant decline in BMI with age, related to loss of body fat, but with little change in lean body mass. Age-related declines in BMI and %body fat were more pronounced among the nomadic males. am salivary T values declined with age; again, the decline was significantly greater among nomadic males. pm salivary T levels showed no significant decline with age. When controlled for residence and age, salivary T was positively related to %body fat and WHR ratio, but not lean body mass. These results provide evidence that salivary T is related to acute nutritional status among males in an energetically stressed subsistence population, in accordance with life history theories of somatic allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Campbell
- Department of Anthropology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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Bribiescas RG. Reproductive ecology and life history of the human male. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2002. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.10025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Abstract
An anthropometric assessment was conducted at 238 !Kung San hunter-gatherers aged between 18 and 65 years (mean = 30.8 years), 156 Kavango horticultural pastoralists aged between 18 and 61 years (mean = 29.2 years) and for 87 urbanized Kavango people aged between 18 and 61 years (mean = 29.3 years) living as wage earning employees in northern Namibia. Weight status was estimated by using body mass index categories according to the recommendations of the WHO. As is typical for human populations, men were taller and heavier than women within the same ethnic groups. An interethnic comparison showed that both !Kung San women and men were lighter than Kavango women and men. The mean BMI of !Kung San women was 19.1 and of !Kung San men 19.4 kg/m2. Kavango people exhibited higher average BMI values, 19.4 for women, 20.3 kg/m2 for men. With the exception of the male urban Kavango people a high percentage (more than 30%) of the subjects were thin and underweight, as shown by a BMI of < 18.5 kg/m2. This was especially true of the !Kung San of both sexes and the rural Kavango men. Nearly 25% of !Kung San women met the criterion of weight depletion (BMI < 17.0). The cultural transition from nomadic hunter gatherer subsistence to a more sedentary life style over the last 20 years can be interpreted as an environmental stress which affected male as well as female nutritional status. The hard economic situation of the rural Kavango people may also be a stress factor which negatively influenced their nutritional status, especially of the men. The significantly better nutritional status of the urban Kavango men may be the result of the opportunities for work as wage earners or as soldiers.
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Bribiescas RG. Testosterone levels among Aché hunter-gatherer men. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 1996; 7:163-88. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02692109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/1995] [Accepted: 09/06/1995] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Campbell BC, Leslie PW. Reproductive ecology of human males. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 1995. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.1330380603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Winkler EM, Kirchengast S. Body dimensions and differential fertility in !Kung San males from Namibia. Am J Hum Biol 1994; 6:203-213. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.1310060208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/1992] [Accepted: 08/28/1993] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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Winkler EM, Christiansen K. Sex hormone levels and body hair growth in !Kung San and Kavango men from Namibia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 1993; 92:155-64. [PMID: 8273828 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.1330920205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The relation between hair growth and levels of sex hormones in serum and saliva was investigated in 256 !Kung San and Kavango men (ages 18 to 39 years) from Namibia/Southern Africa. Serum concentrations of total testosterone (Tser), 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and estradiol (E2) as well as the level of bioavailable non-SHBG-bound testosterone in the saliva (Tsal) were determined by radioimmunoassay. The distribution and density of scalp and facial hair as well as the development of terminal hair on the chest, abdomen, pubic area, arms, fingers, and legs were categorized using objective criteria. Covariance analyses revealed marked differences in the distribution of body hair in the San and the Negro sample. This is partly explained by a significant influence of androgen and estrogen levels on the growth of terminal hair. DHT and the ratio DHT/Tser are significantly positively related to midphalangeal hair growth and negatively to pubic hair development. Tsal, the bioavailable fraction of total testosterone, exerts a weak positive influence on the degree of arm and leg hair growth; the most significant positive effect on the growth of abdominal, arm, and leg hair in our samples is caused by E2. The ratio Tser/E2 correlates significantly negatively with the arm and leg hair development and the ratio DHT/E2 with the degree of abdominal, pubic, arm, and leg hair, whereas lower DHT concentrations occur in men with stronger hair development.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Winkler
- Institut für Humanbiologie, University of Vienna, Austria
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Bentley GR, Harrigan AM, Campbell B, Ellison PT. Seasonal effects on salivary testosterone levels among lese males of the Ituri Forest, Zaire. Am J Hum Biol 1993; 5:711-717. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.1310050614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/1992] [Accepted: 07/05/1993] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Christiansen K, Winkler EM. Hormonal, anthropometrical, and behavioral correlates of physical aggression in !Kung San men of Namibia. Aggress Behav 1992. [DOI: 10.1002/1098-2337(1992)18:4<271::aid-ab2480180403>3.0.co;2-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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