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Chaudhari NN, Imms PE, Chowdhury NF, Gatz M, Trumble BC, Mack WJ, Law EM, Sutherland ML, Sutherland JD, Rowan CJ, Wann LS, Allam AH, Thompson RC, Michalik DE, Miyamoto M, Lombardi G, Cummings DK, Seabright E, Alami S, Garcia AR, Rodriguez DE, Gutierrez RQ, Copajira AJ, Hooper PL, Buetow KH, Stieglitz J, Gurven MD, Thomas GS, Kaplan HS, Finch CE, Irimia A. Increases in regional brain volume across two native South American male populations. GeroScience 2024; 46:4563-4583. [PMID: 38683289 PMCID: PMC11336037 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01168-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Industrialized environments, despite benefits such as higher levels of formal education and lower rates of infections, can also have pernicious impacts upon brain atrophy. Partly for this reason, comparing age-related brain volume trajectories between industrialized and non-industrialized populations can help to suggest lifestyle correlates of brain health. The Tsimane, indigenous to the Bolivian Amazon, derive their subsistence from foraging and horticulture and are physically active. The Moseten, a mixed-ethnicity farming population, are physically active but less than the Tsimane. Within both populations (N = 1024; age range = 46-83), we calculated regional brain volumes from computed tomography and compared their cross-sectional trends with age to those of UK Biobank (UKBB) participants (N = 19,973; same age range). Surprisingly among Tsimane and Moseten (T/M) males, some parietal and occipital structures mediating visuospatial abilities exhibit small but significant increases in regional volume with age. UKBB males exhibit a steeper negative trend of regional volume with age in frontal and temporal structures compared to T/M males. However, T/M females exhibit significantly steeper rates of brain volume decrease with age compared to UKBB females, particularly for some cerebro-cortical structures (e.g., left subparietal cortex). Across the three populations, observed trends exhibit no interhemispheric asymmetry. In conclusion, the age-related rate of regional brain volume change may differ by lifestyle and sex. The lack of brain volume reduction with age is not known to exist in other human population, highlighting the putative role of lifestyle in constraining regional brain atrophy and promoting elements of non-industrialized lifestyle like higher physical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhil N Chaudhari
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Phoebe E Imms
- Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nahian F Chowdhury
- Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Center for Economic and Social Research, Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- Center for Evolution & Medicine, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Wendy J Mack
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - E Meng Law
- iBRAIN Research Laboratory, Departments of Neuroscience, Computer Systems and Electrical Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Radiology, The Alfred Health Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher J Rowan
- Renown Institute for Heart and Vascular Health, Reno, NV, USA
- School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - L Samuel Wann
- Division of Cardiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Adel H Allam
- Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Al Mikhaym Al Daem, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Randall C Thompson
- Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - David E Michalik
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA, USA
- MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital, Long Beach Medical Center, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Michael Miyamoto
- Division of Cardiology, Mission Heritage Medical Group, Providence Health, Mission Viejo, CA, USA
| | | | - Daniel K Cummings
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Edmond Seabright
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Sarah Alami
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Angela R Garcia
- Center for Evolution & Medicine, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Daniel E Rodriguez
- Institute of Biomedical Research, San Simon University, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | | | | | - Paul L Hooper
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Kenneth H Buetow
- Center for Evolution & Medicine, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse 1 Capitol University, Toulouse, France
| | - Michael D Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Gregory S Thomas
- MemorialCare Health Systems, Fountain Valley, CA, USA
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Hillard S Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Caleb E Finch
- Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Departments of Biological Sciences, Anthropology and Psychology, Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andrei Irimia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Fedurek P, Aktipis A, Cronk L, Danel D, Lacroix L, Lehmann J, Mabulla I, Makambi JE, Berbesque JC. Prosocial reputation and stress among contemporary hunter-gatherers: the Hadza case. Sci Rep 2024; 14:21403. [PMID: 39271949 PMCID: PMC11399269 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72238-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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that having a reputation for being prosocial is a critical part of social status across all human societies. It has also been argued that prosocial behavior confers benefits, whether physiological, such as stress reduction, or social, such as building allies or becoming more popular. Here, we investigate the relationship between helping reputation (being named as someone others would go to for help), and hair-derived chronic stress (hair cortisol concentration). In a sample of 77 women and 62 men, we found that perceived helping reputation was not related to chronic stress. Overall, the results of our study suggest that, in an egalitarian society with fluid camp membership and widely practiced generosity such as the Hadza, helping reputation does not necessarily boost stress-related health benefits through prestige-signaling mechanisms observed in hierarchical, large-scale societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Fedurek
- School of Human and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK.
- Department of Anthropology, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, IITD PAN, Podwale 75, 50-449, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Lee Cronk
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Dariusz Danel
- Department of Anthropology, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, IITD PAN, Podwale 75, 50-449, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Laurent Lacroix
- Health Sciences Research Centre, Roehampton University, London, UK
| | - Julia Lehmann
- School of Human and Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | | | - Jerryson E Makambi
- Mount Meru Tour Guide and International Language School, Arusha, Tanzania
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Longtin A, Watowich MM, Sadoughi B, Petersen RM, Brosnan SF, Buetow K, Cai Q, Gurven MD, Highland HM, Huang YT, Kaplan H, Kraft TS, Lim YAL, Long J, Melin AD, Roberson J, Ng KS, Stieglitz J, Trumble BC, Venkataraman VV, Wallace IJ, Wu J, Snyder-Mackler N, Jones A, Bick AG, Lea AJ. Cost-effective solutions for high-throughput enzymatic DNA methylation sequencing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.09.612068. [PMID: 39314398 PMCID: PMC11419010 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.09.612068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Characterizing DNA methylation patterns is important for addressing key questions in evolutionary biology, geroscience, and medical genomics. While costs are decreasing, whole-genome DNA methylation profiling remains prohibitively expensive for most population-scale studies, creating a need for cost-effective, reduced representation approaches (i.e., assays that rely on microarrays, enzyme digests, or sequence capture to target a subset of the genome). Most common whole genome and reduced representation techniques rely on bisulfite conversion, which can damage DNA resulting in DNA loss and sequencing biases. Enzymatic methyl sequencing (EM-seq) was recently proposed to overcome these issues, but thorough benchmarking of EM-seq combined with cost-effective, reduced representation strategies has not yet been performed. To do so, we optimized Targeted Methylation Sequencing protocol (TMS)-which profiles ∼4 million CpG sites-for miniaturization, flexibility, and multispecies use at a cost of ∼$80. First, we tested modifications to increase throughput and reduce cost, including increasing multiplexing, decreasing DNA input, and using enzymatic rather than mechanical fragmentation to prepare DNA. Second, we compared our optimized TMS protocol to commonly used techniques, specifically the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip (n=55 paired samples) and whole genome bisulfite sequencing (n=6 paired samples). In both cases, we found strong agreement between technologies (R² = 0.97 and 0.99, respectively). Third, we tested the optimized TMS protocol in three non-human primate species (rhesus macaques, geladas, and capuchins). We captured a high percentage (mean=77.1%) of targeted CpG sites and produced methylation level estimates that agreed with those generated from reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (R² = 0.98). Finally, we applied our protocol to profile age-associated DNA methylation variation in two subsistence-level populations-the Tsimane of lowland Bolivia and the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia-and found age-methylation patterns that were strikingly similar to those reported in high income cohorts, despite known differences in age-health relationships between lifestyle contexts. Altogether, our optimized TMS protocol will enable cost-effective, population-scale studies of genome-wide DNA methylation levels across human and non-human primate species.
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Rawlings BS, Davis HE, Anum A, Burger O, Chen L, Morales JCC, Dutra N, Dzabatou A, Dzokoto V, Erut A, Fong FTK, Ghelardi S, Goldwater M, Ingram G, Messer E, Kingsford J, Lew-Levy S, Mendez K, Newhouse M, Nielsen M, Pamei G, Pope-Caldwell S, Ramos K, Rojas LEE, Dos Santos RAC, Silveira LGS, Watzek J, Wirth C, Legare CH. Quantifying quality: The impact of measures of school quality on children's academic achievement across diverse societies. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13434. [PMID: 37455378 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Recent decades have seen a rapid acceleration in global participation in formal education, due to worldwide initiatives aimed to provide school access to all children. Research in high income countries has shown that school quality indicators have a significant, positive impact on numeracy and literacy-skills required to participate in the increasingly globalized economy. Schools vary enormously in kind, resources, and teacher training around the world, however, and the validity of using diverse school quality measures in populations with diverse educational profiles remains unclear. First, we assessed whether children's numeracy and literacy performance across populations improves with age, as evidence of general school-related learning effects. Next, we examined whether several school quality measures related to classroom experience and composition, and to educational resources, were correlated with one another. Finally, we examined whether they were associated with children's (4-12-year-olds, N = 889) numeracy and literacy performance in 10 culturally and geographically diverse populations which vary in historical engagement with formal schooling. Across populations, age was a strong positive predictor of academic achievement. Measures related to classroom experience and composition were correlated with one another, as were measures of access to educational resources and classroom experience and composition. The number of teachers per class and access to writing materials were key predictors of numeracy and literacy, while the number of students per classroom, often linked to academic achievement, was not. We discuss these results in the context of maximising children's learning environments and highlight study limitations to motivate future research. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We examined the extent to which four measures of school quality were associated with one another, and whether they predicted children's academic achievement in 10 culturally and geographically diverse societies. Across populations, measures related to classroom experience and composition were correlated with one another as were measures of access to educational resources to classroom experience and composition. Age, the number of teachers per class, and access to writing materials were key predictors of academic achievement across populations. Our data have implications for designing efficacious educational initiatives to improve school quality globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce S Rawlings
- Department of Psychology & Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Helen Elizabeth Davis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change & The Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adote Anum
- Department of Psychology, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Lydia Chen
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | - Natalia Dutra
- Laboratório de Evolução do Comportamento Humano, Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ardain Dzabatou
- Marien Ngouabi University Brazzaville, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Vivian Dzokoto
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Alejandro Erut
- Department of Psychology, Center for Applied Cognitive Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Frankie T K Fong
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology &, Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sabrina Ghelardi
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Micah Goldwater
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Gordon Ingram
- Department of Psychology, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Emily Messer
- Department of Psychology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology & Durham Cultural Evolution Research Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Kimberley Mendez
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Morgan Newhouse
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Mark Nielsen
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Gairan Pamei
- Department of Psychology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong
| | | | - Karlos Ramos
- The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | | | | | - Julia Watzek
- Departments of Psychology & Philosophy, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ciara Wirth
- Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Cristine H Legare
- Department of Psychology, Center for Applied Cognitive Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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5
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Trumble BC, Schwartz M, Ozga AT, Schwartz GT, Stojanowski CM, Jenkins CL, Kraft TS, Garcia AR, Cummings DK, Hooper PL, Eid Rodriguez D, Buetow K, Beheim B, Irimia A, Thomas GS, Thompson RC, Gatz M, Stieglitz J, Finch CE, Gurven M, Kaplan H. Poor Oral Health Is Associated With Inflammation, Aortic Valve Calcification, and Brain Volume Among Forager-Farmers. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2024; 79:glae013. [PMID: 38291985 PMCID: PMC11044433 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Poor oral health is associated with cardiovascular disease and dementia. Potential pathways include sepsis from oral bacteria, systemic inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies. However, in post-industrialized populations, links between oral health and chronic disease may be confounded because the lower socioeconomic exposome (poor diet, pollution, and low physical activity) often entails insufficient dental care. We assessed tooth loss, caries, and damaged teeth, in relation to cardiovascular and brain aging among the Tsimane, a subsistence population living a relatively traditional forager-horticulturalist lifestyle with poor dental health, but minimal cardiovascular disease and dementia. Dental health was assessed by a physician in 739 participants aged 40-92 years with cardiac and brain health measured by chest computed tomography (CT; n = 728) and brain CT (n = 605). A subset of 356 individuals aged 60+ were also assessed for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (n = 33 impaired). Tooth loss was highly prevalent, with 2.2 teeth lost per decade and a 2-fold greater loss in women. The number of teeth with exposed pulp was associated with higher inflammation, as measured by cytokine levels and white blood cell counts, and lower body mass index. Coronary artery calcium and thoracic aortic calcium were not associated with tooth loss or damaged teeth. However, aortic valve calcification and brain tissue loss were higher in those who had more teeth with exposed pulp. Overall, these results suggest that dental health is associated with indicators of chronic diseases in the absence of typical confounds, even in a population with low cardiovascular and dementia risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Matthew Schwartz
- School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Andrew T Ozga
- Department of Biological Sciences, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
| | - Gary T Schwartz
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Christopher M Stojanowski
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Carrie L Jenkins
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Angela R Garcia
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Daniel K Cummings
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
| | - Paul L Hooper
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
| | | | - Kenneth Buetow
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Bret Beheim
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andrei Irimia
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Gregory S Thomas
- Heart & Vascular Institute, MemorialCare Health System, Fountain Valley, CA and University of California Irvine, Orange, California, USA
| | - Randall C Thompson
- Department of Cardiology, Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Insititue for Advanced Study, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France
| | - Caleb E Finch
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Integrative Anthropological Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, California, USA
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Sarma MS, Shelhamer M. The human biology of spaceflight. Am J Hum Biol 2024; 36:e24048. [PMID: 38337152 PMCID: PMC10940193 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
To expand the human exploration footprint and reach Mars in the 2030s, we must explore how humans survive and thrive in demanding, unusual, and novel ecologies (i.e., extreme environments). In the extreme conditions encountered during human spaceflight, there is a need to understand human functioning and response in a more rigorous theoretically informed way. Current models of human performance in space-relevant environments and human space science are often operationally focused, with emphasis on acute physiological or behavioral outcomes. However, integrating current perspectives in human biology allows for a more holistic and complete understanding of how humans function over a range of time in an extreme environment. Here, we show how the use of evolution-informed frameworks (i.e., models of life history theory to organize the adaptive pressures of spaceflight and biocultural perspectives) coupled with the use of mixed-methodological toolkits can shape models that better encompass the scope of biobehavioral human adjustment to long-duration space travel and extra-terrestrial habitation. Further, we discuss how we can marry human biology perspectives with the rigorous programmatic structures developed for spaceflight to model other unknown and nascent extremes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mallika S. Sarma
- Human Spaceflight Lab, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21215
| | - Mark Shelhamer
- Human Spaceflight Lab, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21215
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Gilbert BLP, Kessler SE. Could care giving have altered the evolution of human immune strategies? Evol Med Public Health 2024; 12:33-49. [PMID: 38380131 PMCID: PMC10878251 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoae004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Life history theory indicates that individuals/species with a slow pace of life invest more in acquired than innate immunity. Factors that decrease the pace of life and predict greater investment in acquired immunity include increased nutritional resources, increased pathogen exposure and decreased risk of extrinsic mortality. Common care behaviors given to sick individuals produce exactly these effects: provisioning increases nutritional resources; hygiene assistance increases disease exposure of carers; and protection can reduce the risk of extrinsic mortality to sick individuals. This study, therefore, investigated under what conditions care giving behaviors might impact immune strategy and pace of life. The study employed an agent-based model approach that simulated populations with varying levels of care giving, disease mortality, disease transmissibility, and extrinsic mortality, enabling measurements of how the immune strategy and age structure of the populations changed over evolutionary time. We used multiple regressions to examine the effects of these variables on immune strategy and the age structure of the population. The findings supported our predictions that care was selected for an acquired immunity. However, the pace of life did not slow as expected. Instead, the population shifted to a faster, but also more cost-intensive reproductive strategy in which care improved child survival by subsidizing the development of acquired immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany L P Gilbert
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Sharon E Kessler
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
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8
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Finch CE, Burstein SM. Dementia in the Ancient Greco-Roman World Was Minimally Mentioned. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 97:1581-1588. [PMID: 38277296 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Background The possibility that Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) is a modern disease arises from the minimal mention of advanced cognitive decline by ancient Greeks and Romans, who were mainly concerned with the physical frailties of older ages. Objective Because standard medical histories of elderly health lacked mention of cognitive decline, we examined texts by Greek and Roman authors that mentioned memory loss and dementia. Methods Primary texts of Greco-Roman authors, 8th century BCE into the 3rd century CE, that mentioned cognitive decline were identified and critically evaluated. Secondary sources were excluded. Results No ancient account of cognitive loss is equivalent to modern clinical data. The term dementia was occasionally used in antiquity, but not invariably linked to old age. Ancient Greeks and Romans expected intellectual competence beyond age 60. While some memory loss was acknowledged, we found only four accounts of severe cognitive loss that might represent ADRD. The possibility of modest ADRD prevalence in ancient Greece and Rome is consistent with its low prevalence in the Tsimane of Bolivia. These contemporary Amerindians live under conditions of high mortality from frequent infections and minimal cardiovascular disease with physically demanding lives. Tsimane after age 60 had increased mild cognitive impairment; the few cases of dementia were not clinically consistent with AD. Conclusions The modern 'epidemic level' of advanced dementias was not described among ancient Greco-Roman elderly. The possible emergence of advanced ADRD in the Roman era may be associated with environmental factors of air pollution and increased exposure to lead. Further historical analysis may formulate critical hypotheses about the modernity of high ADRD prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb E Finch
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stanley M Burstein
- Department of History, California State University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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9
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Trumble BC, Negrey J, Koebele SV, Thompson RC, Samuel Wann L, Allam AH, Beheim B, Linda Sutherland M, Sutherland JD, Eid Rodriguez D, Michalik DE, Rowan CJ, Lombardi GP, Garcia AR, Cummings DK, Seabright E, Alami S, Kraft TS, Hooper P, Buetow K, Irimia A, Gatz M, Stieglitz J, Gurven MD, Kaplan H, Thomas GS. Testosterone is positively associated with coronary artery calcium in a low cardiovascular disease risk population. Evol Med Public Health 2023; 11:472-484. [PMID: 38145005 PMCID: PMC10746324 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoad039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In industrialized populations, low male testosterone is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular mortality. However, coronary risk factors like obesity impact both testosterone and cardiovascular outcomes. Here, we assess the role of endogenous testosterone on coronary artery calcium in an active subsistence population with relatively low testosterone levels, low cardiovascular risk and low coronary artery calcium scores. Methodology In this cross-sectional community-based study, 719 Tsimane forager-horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon aged 40+ years underwent computed tomography (49.8% male, mean age 57.6 years). Results Coronary artery calcium levels were low; 84.5% had no coronary artery calcium. Zero-inflated negative binomial models found testosterone was positively associated with coronary artery calcium for the full sample (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] = 1.477, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.001-2.170, P = 0.031), and in a male-only subset (IRR = 1.532, 95% CI 0.993-2.360, P = 0.053). Testosterone was also positively associated with clinically relevant coronary atherosclerosis (calcium >100 Agatston units) in the full sample (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.984, 95% CI 1.202-3.275, P = 0.007) and when limited to male-only sample (OR = 2.032, 95% CI 1.118-4.816, P = 0.024). Individuals with coronary artery calcium >100 had 20% higher levels of testosterone than those with calcium <100 (t = -3.201, P = 0.007). Conclusions and Implications Among Tsimane, testosterone is positively associated with coronary artery calcium despite generally low normal testosterone levels, minimal atherosclerosis and rare cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Associations between low testosterone and CVD events in industrialized populations are likely confounded by obesity and other lifestyle factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Trumble
- Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jacob Negrey
- Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Stephanie V Koebele
- Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Randall C Thompson
- Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Department of Cardiology, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - L Samuel Wann
- University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Adel H Allam
- Al Azhar University, School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Bret Beheim
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | | | - David E Michalik
- University of California Irvine, School of Medicine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Miller Women’s and Children’s Hospital Long Beach, CA, USA
| | | | - Guido P Lombardi
- Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Laboratorio de Paleopatología, Lima, Peru
| | - Angela R Garcia
- Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Edmond Seabright
- Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, School of Collective Intelligence, Ben Guerir, Morocco
| | - Sarah Alami
- Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, School of Collective Intelligence, Ben Guerir, Morocco
| | - Thomas S Kraft
- University of Utah, Anthropology Department, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Paul Hooper
- Chapman University, Economic Science Institute, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth Buetow
- Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Institute of Human Origins, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Andrei Irimia
- University of Southern California, Psychology Department, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Margaret Gatz
- University of Southern California, Psychology Department, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Toulouse Scool of Economics, Institute for Advanced Study Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Michael D Gurven
- University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Anthropology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Chapman University, Economic Science Institute, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Gregory S Thomas
- MemorialCare Health System, Fountain Valley, CA, USA
- University of California Irvine, Division of Cardiology, Orange, CA, USA
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10
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Caldwell AE, Cummings DK, Hooper PL, Trumble BC, Gurven M, Stieglitz J, Davis HE, Kaplan H. Adolescence is characterized by more sedentary behaviour and less physical activity even among highly active forager-farmers. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231764. [PMID: 37909080 PMCID: PMC10618868 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Over 80% of adolescents worldwide are insufficiently active, posing massive public health and economic challenges. Declining physical activity (PA) and sex differences in PA consistently accompany transitions from childhood to adulthood in post-industrialized populations and are attributed to psychosocial and environmental factors. An overarching evolutionary theoretical framework and data from pre-industrialized populations are lacking. This cross-sectional study tests hypotheses from life history theory, that adolescent PA is inversely related to age, but this association is mediated by Tanner stage, reflecting higher and sex-specific energetic demands for growth and reproductive maturation. Detailed measures of PA and pubertal maturation are assessed among Tsimane forager-farmers (age: 7-22 years; 50% female, n = 110). Most Tsimane sampled (71%) meet World Health Organization PA guidelines (greater than or equal to 60 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous PA). Like post-industrialized populations, sex differences and inverse age-activity associations were observed. Tanner stage significantly mediated age-activity associations. Adolescence presents difficulties to PA engagement that warrant further consideration in PA intervention approaches to improve public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E. Caldwell
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Paul L. Hooper
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole Toulouse, France
| | - Helen E. Davis
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
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11
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Swanson ZS, Bethancourt H, Nzunza R, Ndiema E, Braun DR, Rosinger AY, Pontzer H. The effects of lifestyle change on indicators of cardiometabolic health in semi-nomadic pastoralists. Evol Med Public Health 2023; 11:318-331. [PMID: 37841024 PMCID: PMC10576223 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoad030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and objectives Non-communicable disease risk and the epidemic of cardiometabolic diseases continue to grow across the expanding industrialized world. Probing the relationships between evolved human physiology and modern socioecological conditions is central to understanding this health crisis. Therefore, we investigated the relationships between increased market access, shifting subsistence patterns and cardiometabolic health indicators within Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralists who vary in their engagement in traditional lifestyle and emerging market behaviors. Methodology We conducted cross-sectional socioecological, demographic and lifestyle stressor surveys along with health, biomarker and nutrition examinations among 225 (51.6% female) Daasanach adults in 2019-2020. We used linear mixed-effects models to test how differing levels of engagement in market integration and traditional subsistence activities related to blood pressure (BP), body composition and blood chemistry. Results We found that systolic and diastolic BP, as well as the probability of having high BP (hypertension), were negatively associated with distance to market, a proxy for market integration. Additionally, body composition varied significantly by socioeconomic status (SES), with significant positive associations between BMI and body fat and higher SES among adults. Conclusions and implications While evidence for evolutionary mismatch and health variation have been found across a number of populations affected by an urban/rural divide, these results demonstrate the effects of market integration and sedentarization on cardiometabolic health associated with the early stages of lifestyle changes. Our findings provide evidence for the changes in health when small-scale populations begin the processes of sedentarization and market integration that result from myriad market pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zane S Swanson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Emmanuel Ndiema
- Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - David R Braun
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Technological Primates Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Germany
| | - Asher Y Rosinger
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, PA, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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12
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Lea AJ, Clark AG, Dahl AW, Devinsky O, Garcia AR, Golden CD, Kamau J, Kraft TS, Lim YAL, Martins DJ, Mogoi D, Pajukanta P, Perry GH, Pontzer H, Trumble BC, Urlacher SS, Venkataraman VV, Wallace IJ, Gurven M, Lieberman DE, Ayroles JF. Applying an evolutionary mismatch framework to understand disease susceptibility. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002311. [PMID: 37695771 PMCID: PMC10513379 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise worldwide. Obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes are among a long list of "lifestyle" diseases that were rare throughout human history but are now common. The evolutionary mismatch hypothesis posits that humans evolved in environments that radically differ from those we currently experience; consequently, traits that were once advantageous may now be "mismatched" and disease causing. At the genetic level, this hypothesis predicts that loci with a history of selection will exhibit "genotype by environment" (GxE) interactions, with different health effects in "ancestral" versus "modern" environments. To identify such loci, we advocate for combining genomic tools in partnership with subsistence-level groups experiencing rapid lifestyle change. In these populations, comparisons of individuals falling on opposite extremes of the "matched" to "mismatched" spectrum are uniquely possible. More broadly, the work we propose will inform our understanding of environmental and genetic risk factors for NCDs across diverse ancestries and cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Andrew G. Clark
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Andrew W. Dahl
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Angela R. Garcia
- Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Christopher D. Golden
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Joseph Kamau
- One Health Centre, Institute of Primate Research, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Yvonne A. L. Lim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Dino J. Martins
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Donald Mogoi
- Department of Medical Services and Public Health, Ministry of Health Laikipia County, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Päivi Pajukanta
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - George H. Perry
- Departments of Anthropology and Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Samuel S. Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ian J. Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Daniel E. Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Julien F. Ayroles
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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13
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Lieberman DE, Worthington S, Schell LD, Parkent CM, Devinsky O, Carmody RN. Comparing measured dietary variation within and between tropical hunter-gatherer groups to the Paleo Diet. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 118:549-560. [PMID: 37343704 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although human diets varied considerably before the spread of agriculture, public perceptions of preagricultural diets have been strongly influenced by the Paleo Diet, which prescribes percentage calorie ranges of 19-35% protein, 22-40% carbohydrate, and 28-47% fat, and prohibits foods with added sugar, dairy, grains, most starchy tubers, and legumes. However, the empirical basis for Paleolithic nutrition remains unclear, with some of its assumptions challenged by the archaeological record and theoretical first principles. OBJECTIVES We assessed the variation in diets among tropical hunter-gatherers, including the effect of collection methods on implied macronutrient percentages. METHODS We analyzed data on animal food, plant food, and honey consumption by weight and kcal from 15 high-quality published ethnographic studies representing 11 recent tropical hunter-gatherer groups. We used Bayesian analyses to perform inference and included data collection methods and environmental variables as predictors in our models. RESULTS Our analyses reveal high levels of variation in animal versus plant foods consumed and in corresponding percentages of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. In addition, studies that weighed food items consumed in and out of camp and across seasons and years reported higher consumption of animal foods, which varied with annual mean temperature. CONCLUSIONS The ethnographic evidence from tropical foragers refutes the concept of circumscribed macronutrient ranges modeling preagricultural diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.
| | - Steven Worthington
- Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Laura D Schell
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Christine M Parkent
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States; Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT, United States
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rachel N Carmody
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.
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14
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Trumble BC, Charifson M, Kraft T, Garcia AR, Cummings DK, Hooper P, Lea AJ, Eid Rodriguez D, Koebele SV, Buetow K, Beheim B, Minocher R, Gutierrez M, Thomas GS, Gatz M, Stieglitz J, Finch CE, Kaplan H, Gurven M. Apolipoprotein-ε 4 is associated with higher fecundity in a natural fertility population. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade9797. [PMID: 37556539 PMCID: PMC10411886 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
In many populations, the apolipoprotein-ε4 (APOE-ε4) allele increases the risk for several chronic diseases of aging, including dementia and cardiovascular disease; despite these harmful effects at later ages, the APOE-ε4 allele remains prevalent. We assess the impact of APOE-ε4 on fertility and its proximate determinants (age at first reproduction, interbirth interval) among the Tsimane, a natural fertility population of forager-horticulturalists. Among 795 women aged 13 to 90 (20% APOE-ε4 carriers), those with at least one APOE-ε4 allele had 0.3 to 0.5 more children than (ε3/ε3) homozygotes, while those with two APOE-ε4 alleles gave birth to 1.4 to 2.1 more children. APOE-ε4 carriers achieve higher fertility by beginning reproduction 0.8 years earlier and having a 0.23-year shorter interbirth interval. Our findings add to a growing body of literature suggesting a need for studies of populations living in ancestrally relevant environments to assess how alleles that are deleterious in sedentary urban environments may have been maintained by selection throughout human evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Mia Charifson
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Tom Kraft
- Anthropology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Angela R. Garcia
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Scientific Research Core, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Department of Child Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Daniel K. Cummings
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Paul Hooper
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Amanda J. Lea
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | | | - Kenneth Buetow
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Bret Beheim
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Riana Minocher
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Gregory S. Thomas
- MemorialCare Health System, Fountain Valley, CA, USA
- University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France
| | - Caleb E. Finch
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and Dornsife College, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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15
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Konner M, Eaton SB. Hunter-gatherer diets and activity as a model for health promotion: Challenges, responses, and confirmations. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:206-222. [PMID: 37417918 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Beginning in 1985, we and others presented estimates of hunter-gatherer (and ultimately ancestral) diet and physical activity, hoping to provide a model for health promotion. The Hunter-Gatherer Model was designed to offset the apparent mismatch between our genes and the current Western-type lifestyle, a mismatch that arguably affects prevalence of many chronic degenerative diseases. The effort has always been controversial and subject to both scientific and popular critiques. The present article (1) addresses eight such challenges, presenting for each how the model has been modified in response, or how the criticism can be rebutted; (2) reviews new epidemiological and experimental evidence (including especially randomized controlled clinical trials); and (3) shows how official recommendations put forth by governments and health authorities have converged toward the model. Such convergence suggests that evolutionary anthropology can make significant contributions to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin Konner
- Department of Anthropology, Program in Anthropology and Human Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - S Boyd Eaton
- Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine (Emeritus), Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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16
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Kraft TS, Seabright E, Alami S, Jenness SM, Hooper P, Beheim B, Davis H, Cummings DK, Rodriguez DE, Cayuba MG, Miner E, de Lamballerie X, Inchauste L, Priet S, Trumble BC, Stieglitz J, Kaplan H, Gurven MD. Metapopulation dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a small-scale Amazonian society. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002108. [PMID: 37607188 PMCID: PMC10443873 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The severity of infectious disease outbreaks is governed by patterns of human contact, which vary by geography, social organization, mobility, access to technology and healthcare, economic development, and culture. Whereas globalized societies and urban centers exhibit characteristics that can heighten vulnerability to pandemics, small-scale subsistence societies occupying remote, rural areas may be buffered. Accordingly, voluntary collective isolation has been proposed as one strategy to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 and other pandemics on small-scale Indigenous populations with minimal access to healthcare infrastructure. To assess the vulnerability of such populations and the viability of interventions such as voluntary collective isolation, we simulate and analyze the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection among Amazonian forager-horticulturalists in Bolivia using a stochastic network metapopulation model parameterized with high-resolution empirical data on population structure, mobility, and contact networks. Our model suggests that relative isolation offers little protection at the population level (expected approximately 80% cumulative incidence), and more remote communities are not conferred protection via greater distance from outside sources of infection, due to common features of small-scale societies that promote rapid disease transmission such as high rates of travel and dense social networks. Neighborhood density, central household location in villages, and household size greatly increase the individual risk of infection. Simulated interventions further demonstrate that without implausibly high levels of centralized control, collective isolation is unlikely to be effective, especially if it is difficult to restrict visitation between communities as well as travel to outside areas. Finally, comparison of model results to empirical COVID-19 outcomes measured via seroassay suggest that our theoretical model is successful at predicting outbreak severity at both the population and community levels. Taken together, these findings suggest that the social organization and relative isolation from urban centers of many rural Indigenous communities offer little protection from pandemics and that standard control measures, including vaccination, are required to counteract effects of tight-knit social structures characteristic of small-scale populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Edmond Seabright
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Rabat, Morocco
- University of New Mexico, Department of Anthropology, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Sarah Alami
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Samuel M. Jenness
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Paul Hooper
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, California, United States of America
| | - Bret Beheim
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helen Davis
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Daniel K. Cummings
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, California, United States of America
| | | | | | - Emily Miner
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Xavier de Lamballerie
- Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ–IRD 190 –Inserm 1207 –IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Lucia Inchauste
- Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ–IRD 190 –Inserm 1207 –IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Stéphane Priet
- Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Univ–IRD 190 –Inserm 1207 –IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | | | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, California, United States of America
| | - Michael D. Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
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17
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Corpuz R, Kotov DA, Donovan RL. Earlier sexual debut predicts higher (not lower) levels of father care measured across 12 weeks: an experience sampling study. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1199735. [PMID: 37425144 PMCID: PMC10323429 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1199735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Across the lifespan, males negotiate the tradeoff between current and future reproduction. From a life history theory (LHT) perspective, resources invested into earlier reproduction pose a cost to later reproduction. The age of sexual debut is a commonplace measure of sexual maturation. However, in males, thorarche (age of first ejaculation) and years from thorarche to age of first reproduction both represent milestones related to reproductive timing. A fundamental prediction from LHT is that earlier sexual maturation-a "quantity" strategy-predicts decreased levels of care per offspring. In the current study, we test this straightforward relationship looking specifically at a father's investment of time. In a sample of first-time fathers, we measured the amount of time spent with their 9-to-12-month infants longitudinally using an experience sampling method (ESM)-an ecologically valid method of collecting self-report data on fathers' use of time Fathers contributed data on their time allocation across a 12-week period. They reported on ages of sexual debut, thorarche, and the years between thorarche and first reproduction (i.e., current age) was calculated. Only age of sexual debut had a relationship with time allocated toward infants. Importantly however, this effect was in a direction opposite of our LHT derived hypothesis. Males with earlier sexual debut spent more time with their infants. Discussion focuses on the potential contributions to this finding and limitations related to small effect size, methods and measurement, and sample demographics.
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Kaplan H, Hooper PL, Gatz M, Mack WJ, Law EM, Chui HC, Sutherland ML, Sutherland JD, Rowan CJ, Wann LS, Allam AH, Thompson RC, Michalik DE, Lombardi G, Miyamoto MI, Eid Rodriguez D, Copajira Adrian J, Quispe Gutierrez R, Beheim BA, Cummings DK, Seabright E, Alami S, R. Garcia A, Buetow K, Thomas GS, Finch CE, Stieglitz J, Trumble BC, Gurven MD, Irimia A. Brain volume, energy balance, and cardiovascular health in two nonindustrial South American populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2205448120. [PMID: 36940322 PMCID: PMC10068758 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205448120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about brain aging or dementia in nonindustrialized environments that are similar to how humans lived throughout evolutionary history. This paper examines brain volume (BV) in middle and old age among two indigenous South American populations, the Tsimane and Moseten, whose lifestyles and environments diverge from those in high-income nations. With a sample of 1,165 individuals aged 40 to 94, we analyze population differences in cross-sectional rates of decline in BV with age. We also assess the relationships of BV with energy biomarkers and arterial disease and compare them against findings in industrialized contexts. The analyses test three hypotheses derived from an evolutionary model of brain health, which we call the embarrassment of riches (EOR). The model hypothesizes that food energy was positively associated with late life BV in the physically active, food-limited past, but excess body mass and adiposity are now associated with reduced BV in industrialized societies in middle and older ages. We find that the relationship of BV with both non-HDL cholesterol and body mass index is curvilinear, positive from the lowest values to 1.4 to 1.6 SDs above the mean, and negative from that value to the highest values. The more acculturated Moseten exhibit a steeper decrease in BV with age than Tsimane, but still shallower than US and European populations. Lastly, aortic arteriosclerosis is associated with lower BV. Complemented by findings from the United States and Europe, our results are consistent with the EOR model, with implications for interventions to improve brain health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA82866
| | - Paul L. Hooper
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA82866
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Wendy J. Mack
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - E. Meng Law
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
- Department of Radiology, The Alfred Health Hospital, Melbourne, VIC3004, Australia
- iBRAIN Research Laboratory, Departments of Neuroscience, Computer Systems and Electrical Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC3800, Australia
| | - Helena C. Chui
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
- Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | | | | | - Christopher J. Rowan
- Renown Institute for Heart and Vascular Health, Reno, NV89502
- School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, NV89557
| | - L. Samuel Wann
- Division of Cardiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
| | - Adel H. Allam
- Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Al Mikhaym Al Daem, Cairo4334003, Egypt
| | - Randall C. Thompson
- Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, MO64111
| | - David E. Michalik
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California at Irvine, Orange, CA92617
- MemorialCare Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital, Long Beach, CA90806
| | - Guido Lombardi
- Laboratorio de Paleopatologia, Catedra Pedro Weiss, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima15102, Peru
| | | | | | | | | | - Bret A. Beheim
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | | | - Edmond Seabright
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
- School of Collective Intelligence, Universite Mohammed 6 Polytechnic, Ben Guerir43150, Morocco
| | - Sarah Alami
- School of Collective Intelligence, Universite Mohammed 6 Polytechnic, Ben Guerir43150, Morocco
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Angela R. Garcia
- Scientific Research Core, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, AZ85016
- Department of Child Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ85724
| | - Kenneth Buetow
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
| | - Gregory S. Thomas
- MemorialCare Health Systems, Fountain Valley, CA92708
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA92868
| | - Caleb E. Finch
- Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
- Department of Biological Sciences, Anthropology and Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse 1 Capitole University, Toulouse31000, France
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
| | - Michael D. Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Andrei Irimia
- Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
- Corwin D. Denney Research Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90089
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19
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Caldwell AE, Cummings DK, Hooper PL, Trumble BC, Gurven M, Stiegltz J, Davis HE, Kaplan H. Adolescence is characterized by more sedentary behavior and less physical activity even among highly active forager-farmers. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.03.15.23287308. [PMID: 36993728 PMCID: PMC10055571 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.15.23287308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Over 80% of adolescents worldwide are insufficiently active, posing massive public health and economic challenges. Declining physical activity (PA) and sex differences in PA consistently accompany transitions from childhood to adulthood in post-industrialized populations and are attributed to psychosocial and environmental factors. An overarching evolutionary theoretical framework and data from pre-industrialized populations are lacking. In this cross-sectional study we test a hypothesis from life history theory, that adolescent PA reductions reflect an evolved strategy to conserve energy, given the increasing sex-specific energetic demands for growth and reproductive maturation. Detailed measures of PA and pubertal maturation are assessed among Tsimane forager-farmers (age: 7-22 yrs.; 50% female, n=110). We find that 71% of Tsimane sampled meet World Health Organization PA guidelines (≥60 minutes/day of moderate-to-vigorous PA). Consistent with post-industrialized populations, we observe sex differences and inverse age-activity associations mediated by Tanner stage. Physical inactivity in adolescence is distinct from other health risk behaviors and also not merely resulting from obesogenic environments.
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20
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CRISTIA A, FOUSHEE R, ARAVENA-BRAVO P, CYCHOSZ M, SCAFF C, CASILLAS M. Combining observational and experimental approaches to the development of language and communication in rural samples: Opportunities and challenges. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2023; 50:1-23. [PMID: 36912336 PMCID: PMC10497711 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000922000617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Multiple approaches - including observational and experimental - are necessary to articulate powerful theories of learning. Our field's key questions, which rely on these varied methods, are still open. How do children perceive and produce language? What do they encounter in their linguistic input? What does the learner bring to the task of acquisition? Considerable progress has been made for the development of spoken English (especially by North American learners). Yet there is still a great deal to discover about how children in other populations proceed, especially populations in rural settings. To examine language learning in these populations, we need a multi-method approach. However, adapting and integrating methods, particularly experimental ones, to new settings can present immense challenges. In this paper, we discuss the opportunities and challenges facing researchers who aim to use a multimethodological approach in rural samples, and what the field of language acquisition can do to promote such work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandrina CRISTIA
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et de Psycholinguistique, Département d’études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
| | - Ruthe FOUSHEE
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Paulina ARAVENA-BRAVO
- Departamento de Fonoaudiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Margaret CYCHOSZ
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
- Department of Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Camila SCAFF
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et de Psycholinguistique, Département d’études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marisa CASILLAS
- Department of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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21
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Sadhir S, Pontzer H. Impact of energy availability and physical activity on variation in fertility across human populations. J Physiol Anthropol 2023; 42:1. [PMID: 36829218 PMCID: PMC9951524 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-023-00318-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Human reproduction is energetically costly, even more so than other primates. In this review, we consider how the energy cost of physical activity impacts reproductive tasks. Daily energy expenditure appears to be constrained, leading to trade-offs between activity and reproduction expenditures in physically active populations. High workloads can lead to suppression of basal metabolic rate and low gestational weight gain during pregnancy and longer interbirth intervals. These responses lead to variation in fertility, including age at first reproduction and interbirth interval. The influence of energetics is evident even in industrialized populations, where cultural and economic factors predominate. With the decoupling of skills acquisition from food procurement, extrasomatic resources and investment in individual offspring becomes very costly. The result is greater investment in fewer offspring. We present a summary of age at first reproduction and interbirth interval trends across a diverse, global sample representing 44 countries and two natural fertility populations. While economic factors impact fertility, women in energy-rich, industrialized populations are capable of greater reproductive output than women in energy-stressed populations. Thus, energetic factors can be disentangled from cultural and economic impacts on fertility. Future research should focus on objective measurements of energy intake, energy expenditure, and physical activity in a broader sample of populations to elucidate the role of energetics in shaping reproductive outcomes and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srishti Sadhir
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Herman Pontzer
- grid.26009.3d0000 0004 1936 7961Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC USA ,grid.26009.3d0000 0004 1936 7961Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
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22
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Lea AJ, Clark AG, Dahl AW, Devinsky O, Garcia AR, Golden CD, Kamau J, Kraft TS, Lim YAL, Martins D, Mogoi D, Pajukanta P, Perry G, Pontzer H, Trumble BC, Urlacher SS, Venkataraman VV, Wallace IJ, Gurven M, Lieberman D, Ayroles JF. Evolutionary mismatch and the role of GxE interactions in human disease. ARXIV 2023:arXiv:2301.05255v2. [PMID: 36713247 PMCID: PMC9882586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Globally, we are witnessing the rise of complex, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) related to changes in our daily environments. Obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes are part of a long list of "lifestyle" diseases that were rare throughout human history but are now common. A key idea from anthropology and evolutionary biology-the evolutionary mismatch hypothesis-seeks to explain this phenomenon. It posits that humans evolved in environments that radically differ from the ones experienced by most people today, and thus traits that were advantageous in past environments may now be "mismatched" and disease-causing. This hypothesis is, at its core, a genetic one: it predicts that loci with a history of selection will exhibit "genotype by environment" (GxE) interactions and have differential health effects in ancestral versus modern environments. Here, we discuss how this concept could be leveraged to uncover the genetic architecture of NCDs in a principled way. Specifically, we advocate for partnering with small-scale, subsistence-level groups that are currently transitioning from environments that are arguably more "matched" with their recent evolutionary history to those that are more "mismatched". These populations provide diverse genetic backgrounds as well as the needed levels and types of environmental variation necessary for mapping GxE interactions in an explicit mismatch framework. Such work would make important contributions to our understanding of environmental and genetic risk factors for NCDs across diverse ancestries and sociocultural contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
| | - Andrew G. Clark
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Andrew W. Dahl
- Section of Genetic Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Angela R. Garcia
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | | | - Joseph Kamau
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Yvonne A. L. Lim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Dino Martins
- Turkana Basin Research Institute, Turkana, Kenya
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Donald Mogoi
- Director at County Government of Laikipia, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Paivi Pajukanta
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Institute for Precision Health, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - George Perry
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, US
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | - Samuel S. Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Ian J. Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julien F. Ayroles
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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23
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Delton AW, Jaeggi AV, Lim J, Sznycer D, Gurven M, Robertson TE, Sugiyama LS, Cosmides L, Tooby J. Cognitive foundations for helping and harming others: Making welfare tradeoffs in industrialized and small-scale societies. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
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24
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Kraft TS, Cummings DK, Venkataraman VV, Alami S, Beheim B, Hooper P, Seabright E, Trumble BC, Stieglitz J, Kaplan H, Endicott KL, Endicott KM, Gurven M. Female cooperative labour networks in hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210431. [PMID: 36440571 PMCID: PMC9703235 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation in food acquisition is a hallmark of the human species. Given that costs and benefits of cooperation vary among production regimes and work activities, the transition from hunting-and-gathering to agriculture is likely to have reshaped the structure of cooperative subsistence networks. Hunter-gatherers often forage in groups and are generally more interdependent and experience higher short-term food acquisition risk than horticulturalists, suggesting that cooperative labour should be more widespread and frequent for hunter-gatherers. Here we compare female cooperative labour networks of Batek hunter-gatherers of Peninsular Malaysia and Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia. We find that Batek foraging results in high daily variation in labour partnerships, facilitating frequent cooperation in diffuse networks comprised of kin and non-kin. By contrast, Tsimane horticulture involves more restricted giving and receiving of labour, confined mostly to spouses and primary or distant kin. Tsimane women also interact with few individuals in the context of hunting/fishing activities and forage mainly with spouses and primary kin. These differences give rise to camp- or village-level networks that are more modular (have more substructure when partitioned) among Tsimane horticulturalists. Our findings suggest that subsistence activities shape the formation and extent of female social networks, particularly with respect to connections with other women and non-kin. We discuss the implications of restricted female labour networks in the context of gender relations, power dynamics and the adoption of farming in humans. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Daniel K. Cummings
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada T2N 1N4
| | - Sarah Alami
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
| | - Bret Beheim
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Paul Hooper
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Ed Seabright
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse 31000, France
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Karen L. Endicott
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Kirk M. Endicott
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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25
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Seabright E, Alami S, Kraft TS, Davis H, Caldwell AE, Hooper P, McAllister L, Mulville S, Veile A, von Rueden C, Trumble B, Stieglitz J, Gurven M, Kaplan H. Repercussions of patrilocal residence on mothers' social support networks among Tsimane forager-farmers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210442. [PMID: 36440570 PMCID: PMC9703270 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
While it is commonly thought that patrilocality is associated with worse outcomes for women and their children due to lower social support, few studies have examined whether the structure of female social networks covaries with post-marital residence. Here, we analyse scan sample data collected among Tsimane forager-farmers. We compare the social groups and activity partners of 181 women residing in the same community as their parents, their husband's parents, both or neither. Relative to women living closer to their in-laws, women living closer to their parents are less likely to be alone or solely in the company of their nuclear family (odds ratio (OR): 0.6, 95% CI: 0.3-0.9), and more likely to be observed with others when engaging in food processing and manufacturing of market or household goods, but not other activities. Women are slightly more likely to receive childcare support from outside the nuclear family when they live closer to their parents (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 0.8-3.9). Their social group size and their children's probability of receiving allocare decrease significantly with distance from their parents, but not their in-laws. Our findings highlight the importance of women's proximity to kin, but also indicate that patrilocality per se is not costly to Tsimane women. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmond Seabright
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed 6 Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
| | - Sarah Alami
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed 6 Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Helen Davis
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 01451, USA
| | - Ann E. Caldwell
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80217, USA
| | - Paul Hooper
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Lisa McAllister
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sarah Mulville
- Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Amanda Veile
- Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | | | - Benjamin Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1701, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse 1 Capitol University, Toulouse 31080, France
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA
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26
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Lea AJ, Garcia A, Arevalo J, Ayroles JF, Buetow K, Cole SW, Eid Rodriguez D, Gutierrez M, Highland HM, Hooper PL, Justice A, Kraft T, North KE, Stieglitz J, Kaplan H, Trumble BC, Gurven MD. Natural selection of immune and metabolic genes associated with health in two lowland Bolivian populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2207544120. [PMID: 36574663 PMCID: PMC9910614 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207544120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of work has addressed human adaptations to diverse environments using genomic data, but few studies have connected putatively selected alleles to phenotypes, much less among underrepresented populations such as Amerindians. Studies of natural selection and genotype-phenotype relationships in underrepresented populations hold potential to uncover previously undescribed loci underlying evolutionarily and biomedically relevant traits. Here, we worked with the Tsimane and the Moseten, two Amerindian populations inhabiting the Bolivian lowlands. We focused most intensively on the Tsimane, because long-term anthropological work with this group has shown that they have a high burden of both macro and microparasites, as well as minimal cardiometabolic disease or dementia. We therefore generated genome-wide genotype data for Tsimane individuals to study natural selection, and paired this with blood mRNA-seq as well as cardiometabolic and immune biomarker data generated from a larger sample that included both populations. In the Tsimane, we identified 21 regions that are candidates for selective sweeps, as well as 5 immune traits that show evidence for polygenic selection (e.g., C-reactive protein levels and the response to coronaviruses). Genes overlapping candidate regions were strongly enriched for known involvement in immune-related traits, such as abundance of lymphocytes and eosinophils. Importantly, we were also able to draw on extensive phenotype information for the Tsimane and Moseten and link five regions (containing PSD4, MUC21 and MUC22, TOX2, ANXA6, and ABCA1) with biomarkers of immune and metabolic function. Together, our work highlights the utility of pairing evolutionary analyses with anthropological and biomedical data to gain insight into the genetic basis of health-related traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37235
| | - Angela Garcia
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
| | - Jesusa Arevalo
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
| | - Julien F. Ayroles
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Kenneth Buetow
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
| | - Steve W. Cole
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
| | | | | | - Heather M. Highland
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC27516
| | - Paul L. Hooper
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA92866
| | | | - Thomas Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT84112
| | - Kari E. North
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC27516
| | | | - Hillard Kaplan
- Institute for Economics and Society, Chapman University, Orange, CA92866
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
| | - Michael D. Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
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27
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Gatz M, Mack WJ, Chui HC, Law EM, Barisano G, Sutherland ML, Sutherland JD, Eid Rodriguez D, Quispe Gutierrez R, Copajira Adrian J, Bani Cuata J, Borenstein AR, Walters EE, Irimia A, Rowan CJ, Wann LS, Allam AH, Thompson RC, Miyamoto MI, Michalik DE, Cummings DK, Seabright E, Garcia AR, Hooper PL, Kraft TS, Finch CE, Thomas GS, Stieglitz J, Trumble BC, Gurven MD, Kaplan H. Prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in indigenous Bolivian forager-horticulturalists. Alzheimers Dement 2023; 19:44-55. [PMID: 35262289 PMCID: PMC9458772 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We evaluated the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in indigenous Tsimane and Moseten, who lead a subsistence lifestyle. METHODS Participants from population-based samples ≥ 60 years of age (n = 623) were assessed using adapted versions of the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination, informant interview, longitudinal cognitive testing and brain computed tomography (CT) scans. RESULTS Tsimane exhibited five cases of dementia (among n = 435; crude prevalence = 1.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.4, 2.7); Moseten exhibited one case (among n = 169; crude prevalence = 0.6%, 95% CI: 0.0, 3.2), all age ≥ 80 years. Age-standardized MCI prevalence was 7.7% (95% CI: 5.2, 10.3) in Tsimane and 9.8% (95% CI: 4.9, 14.6) in Moseten. Cognitive impairment was associated with visuospatial impairments, parkinsonian symptoms, and vascular calcification in the basal ganglia. DISCUSSION The prevalence of dementia in this cohort is among the lowest in the world. Widespread intracranial medial arterial calcifications suggest a previously unrecognized, non-Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Gatz
- Center for Economic and Social ResearchUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Wendy J. Mack
- Department of Population and Public Health SciencesKeck School of MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Helena C. Chui
- Department of NeurologyKeck School of MedicineUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - E. Meng Law
- Department of NeuroscienceMonash UniversityMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Giuseppe Barisano
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | | | | | - Daniel Eid Rodriguez
- Institute of Biomedical ResearchFaculty of MedicineSan Simon UniversityCochabambaBolivia
| | | | | | | | - Amy R. Borenstein
- Division of EpidemiologyHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity ScienceUniversity of California San Diego School of MedicineLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ellen E. Walters
- Center for Economic and Social ResearchUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Andrei Irimia
- Leonard Davis School of GerontologyUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
- Corwin D. Denney Research CenterDepartment of Biomedical EngineeringViterbi School of EngineeringUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - L. Samuel Wann
- Division of CardiologyUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Adel H. Allam
- Department of Cardiology, School of MedicineAl‐Azhar UniversityCairoEgypt
| | - Randall C. Thompson
- Saint Luke's Mid America Heart InstituteUniversity of Missouri–Kansas CityKansas CityMissouriUSA
| | | | - David E. Michalik
- Memorial Care Miller Women's and Children's HospitalLong BeachCaliforniaUSA
| | - Daniel K. Cummings
- Economic Science InstituteArgyos School of Business and EconomicsChapman UniversityOrangeCaliforniaUSA
| | - Edmond Seabright
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Angela R. Garcia
- School of Human Evolution and Social Changeand Center for Evolution and MedicineArizona State UniversityTempeArizonaUSA
| | - Paul L. Hooper
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Caleb E. Finch
- Leonard Davis School of GerontologyUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Gregory S. Thomas
- MemorialCare Heart & Vascular InstituteFountain ValleyCaliforniaUSA
- Division of CardiologyUniversity of California, IrvineOrangeCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Changeand Center for Evolution and MedicineArizona State UniversityTempeArizonaUSA
| | - Michael D. Gurven
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science InstituteArgyos School of Business and EconomicsChapman UniversityOrangeCaliforniaUSA
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28
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Davis HE, Gurven M, Cashdan E. Navigational Experience and the Preservation of Spatial Abilities into Old Age Among a Tropical Forager-Farmer Population. Top Cogn Sci 2023; 15:187-212. [PMID: 35170860 PMCID: PMC10078734 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Navigational performance responds to navigational challenges, and both decline with age in Western populations as older people become less mobile. But mobility does not decline everywhere; Tsimané forager-farmers in Bolivia remain highly mobile throughout adulthood, traveling frequently by foot and dugout canoe for subsistence and social visitation. We, therefore, measured both natural mobility and navigational performance in 305 Tsimané adults, to assess differences with age and to test whether greater mobility was related to better navigational performance across the lifespan. Daily mobility was measured by GPS tracking, regional mobility through interview, navigational performance through pointing accuracy and perspective taking in environmental space, and mental rotation by a computerized task. Although mental rotation and spatial perspective taking declined with age, mobility and pointing accuracy remained high from mid-life through old age. Greater regional mobility was associated with greater accuracy at pointing and perspective taking, suggesting that spatial experience at environmental scales may help maintain navigational performance in later adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen E Davis
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California-Santa Barbara
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29
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Snodgrass JJ. Minimally invasive biomarkers in human population biology research, part 2: An introduction to the special issue. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23822. [PMID: 36256677 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past several decades, biomarkers have become indispensable tools in human biology, allowing researchers to investigate biocultural and evolutionary questions and to generate basic data on health and well-being. Human biologists are central players in biomarker methods development, pioneering the creation of "field friendly," minimally invasively collected biomarker approaches, as well as leading the innovative use of biomarkers, most notably to map the complex pathways from social and environmental conditions to altered physiology to health effects. This special issue, Part 2 of a collection focused on minimally invasively collected biomarkers, is comprised of nine papers that jointly contribute to driving the science of biomarker methods development and application. This compilation of papers engages with topics such as biological normalcy, ecoimmunology, and the ethics of working with vulnerable and underserved populations. It also focuses attention on research areas at present not emphasized in human biology such as bone turnover markers as a window onto osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and the use of cancer-related biomarkers in population screening and epidemiology. Taken together, these papers help draw the roadmap for future biomarker work, emphasizing: (1) the need for systematic and transparent approaches to assay validation, with open access publication; (2) simultaneous measurement of multiple biomarkers and expanded use of instrument platforms that increase the range of physiological, genomics, and omics markers available to researchers; and, (3) increased attention to ethics and researcher responsibilities, encouraging a mindset that recognizes our obligation to provide benefits to individuals and communities and to help redress past abuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Josh Snodgrass
- Global Health Biomarker Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.,Center for Global Health, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.,Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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30
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Madimenos FC, Gildner TE, Eick GN, Sugiyama LS, Snodgrass JJ. Bringing the lab bench to the field: Point-of-care testing for enhancing health research and stakeholder engagement in rural/remote, indigenous, and resource-limited contexts. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23808. [PMID: 36166487 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Point-of-care testing (POCT) allows researchers and health-care providers to bring the lab bench to the field, providing essential health information that can be leveraged to improve health care, accessibility, and understanding across clinical and research settings. Gaps in health service access are most pronounced in what we term RIR settings-rural/remote regions, involving Indigenous peoples, and/or within resource-limited settings. In these contexts, morbidity and mortality from infectious and non-communicable diseases are disproportionately higher due to numerous geographic, economic, political, and sociohistorical factors. Human biologists and global health scholars are well-positioned to contribute on-the-ground-level insights that can serve to minimize global health inequities and POCT has the potential to augment such approaches. While the clinical benefits of POCT include increasing health service access by bringing testing, rapid diagnosis, and treatment to underserved communities with limited pathways to centralized laboratory testing, POCT also provides added benefits to both health-focused researchers and their participants. Through portable, minimally invasive devices, researchers can provide actionable health data to participants by coupling POCT with population-specific health education, discussing results and their implications, creating space for participants to voice concerns, and facilitating linkages to treatment. POCT can also strengthen human biology research by shedding light on questions of evolutionary and biocultural importance. Here, we expand on the epidemiological and research value, as well as practical and ethical challenges of POCT across stakeholders (i.e., participant, community, health researcher, and trainee). Finally, we emphasize the immense opportunities of POCT for fostering collaborative research and enhancing access to health delivery and information and, by extension, helping to mitigate persistent global health inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicia C Madimenos
- Department of Anthropology, Queens College (CUNY), New York, USA.,New York Consortium of Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), CUNY Graduate Center, New York, USA
| | - Theresa E Gildner
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Geeta N Eick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | | | - James J Snodgrass
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.,Center for Global Health, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.,Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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31
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DeLouize AM, Eick G, Karam SD, Snodgrass JJ. Current and future applications of biomarkers in samples collected through minimally invasive methods for cancer medicine and population-based research. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23665. [PMID: 34374148 PMCID: PMC9894104 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in cancer medicine and research, invasive and potentially risky procedures such as biopsies, venous blood tests, imaging, colonoscopy, and pap smear tests are still primarily used for screening, staging, and assessing response to therapy. The development and interdisciplinary use of biomarkers from urine, feces, saliva, scent, and capillary blood collected with minimally invasive methods represents a potential opportunity for integration with biomarker analysis for cancers, both in clinical practice (e.g., in screening, treatment, and disease monitoring, and improved quality of life for patients) and population-based research (e.g., in epidemiology/public health, studies of social and environmental determinants, and evolutionary medicine). In this article, we review the scientific rationale, benefits, challenges, and potential opportunities for measuring cancer-related biomarkers in samples collected through minimally invasive methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Geeta Eick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Sana D. Karam
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - J. Josh Snodgrass
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Center for Global Health, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
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32
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Kuthyar S, Watson K, Huang S, Brent LJN, Platt M, Horvath J, Gonzalez-Martinez J, Martínez M, Godoy-Vitorino F, Knight R, Dominguez-Bello MG, Amato KR. Limited microbiome differences in captive and semi-wild primate populations consuming similar diets. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:fiac098. [PMID: 36047944 PMCID: PMC9528791 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Gut microbial communities are shaped by a myriad of extrinsic factors, including diet and the environment. Although distinct human populations consistently exhibit different gut microbiome compositions, variation in diet and environmental factors are almost always coupled, making it difficult to disentangle their relative contributions to shaping the gut microbiota. Data from discrete animal populations with similar diets can help reduce confounds. Here, we assessed the gut microbiota of free-ranging and captive rhesus macaques with at least 80% diet similarity to test the hypothesis that hosts in difference environments will have different gut microbiomes despite a shared diet. Although we found that location was a significant predictor of gut microbial composition, the magnitude of observed differences was relatively small. These patterns suggest that a shared diet may limit the typical influence of environmental microbial exposure on the gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahana Kuthyar
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University 1810 Hinman Avenue Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Karli Watson
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder 1777 Exposition Drive Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Shi Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter Stocker Rd, Exeter EX4 4PY, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Blvd Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, 425 S. University Ave Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6018, USA
- Department of Marketing, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, 3620 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA, USA 19104, PA, USA
| | - Julie Horvath
- Research and Collections, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC, 27601, USA
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Department, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 104 Biological Sciences Campus Box 90383 Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, 3510 Thomas Hall Campus Box 7614 Raleigh, NC, USA 27695, USA
| | - Janis Gonzalez-Martinez
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico Cayo Santiago, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico, Humacao 00741, Puerto Rico
| | - Melween Martínez
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico Cayo Santiago, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico, Humacao 00741, Puerto Rico
| | - Filipa Godoy-Vitorino
- Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, PO BOX 365067 San Juan, PR 00936-5067, Puerto Rico
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Center for Microbiome Innovation, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Sciences and Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, 76 Lipman Dr, New Brunswick, NJ, USA 08901, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA 1810, USA
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University 1810 Hinman Avenue Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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33
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Unmaking egalitarianism: Comparing sources of political change in an Amazonian society. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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34
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Martin MA, Gurven M. Traditional and biomedical maternal and neonatal care practices in a rural Indigenous population of the Bolivian Amazon. Glob Public Health 2022; 17:971-985. [PMID: 33573491 PMCID: PMC9810376 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2021.1882531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, Bolivia has expanded maternal and child health insurance coverage to improve access to prenatal and early life health care. Nationally, however, maternal and child health disparities persist along a rural-urban divide. Research is needed among rural populations to better understand local barriers to health care access and usage. Particularly among Indigenous populations, disparities may be compounded by differences in preferences for and access to traditional versus biomedical health care. We examined prenatal care and birth practices among Tsimane forager-farmers of El Beni, Bolivia. From 2012-2013, we interviewed 151 Tsimane mothers (0-35 months postpartum) from nine villages about birth and neonatal care practices, prenatal care, and pharmaceutical usage during labour and postpartum recovery. Results demonstrate local disparities in biomedical care usage by ease of access (e.g. proximity to market town, Spanish fluency), and maternal experience (e.g. parity and prior offspring death or miscarriage). While 59% of interviewed mothers had received at least one prenatal screening, services performed in screenings were limited. Nearly all women continue to birth at home with family assistance. Inconsistent access to health care services may be exacerbated by regional, generational, and educational disparities within the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie A. Martin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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35
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Holowka NB, Kraft TS, Wallace IJ, Gurven M, Venkataraman VV. Forest terrains influence walking kinematics among indigenous Tsimane of the Bolivian Amazon. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e19. [PMID: 37588935 PMCID: PMC10426037 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory-based studies indicate that a major evolutionary advantage of bipedalism is enabling humans to walk with relatively low energy expenditure. However, such studies typically record subjects walking on even surfaces or treadmills that do not represent the irregular terrains our species encounters in natural environments. To date, few studies have quantified walking kinematics on natural terrains. Here we used high-speed video to record marker-based kinematics of 21 individuals from a Tsimane forager-horticulturalist community in the Bolivian Amazon walking on three different terrains: a dirt field, a forest trail and an unbroken forest transect. Compared with the field, in the unbroken forest participants contacted the ground with more protracted legs and flatter foot postures, had more inclined trunks, more flexed hips and knees, and raised their feet higher during leg swing. In contrast, kinematics were generally similar between trail and field walking. These results provide preliminary support for the idea that irregular natural surfaces like those in forests cause humans to alter their walking kinematics, such that travel in these environments could be more energetically expensive than would be assumed from laboratory-based data. These findings have important implications for the evolutionary energetics of human foraging in environments with challenging terrains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Ian J. Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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36
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Wallace IJ, Kraft TS, Venkataraman VV, Davis HE, Holowka NB, Harris AR, Lieberman DE, Gurven M. Cultural variation in running techniques among non-industrial societies. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e14. [PMID: 36325185 PMCID: PMC9624512 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Research among non-industrial societies suggests that body kinematics adopted during running vary between groups according to the cultural importance of running. Among groups in which running is common and an important part of cultural identity, runners tend to adopt what exercise scientists and coaches consider to be good technique for avoiding injury and maximising performance. In contrast, among groups in which running is not particularly culturally important, people tend to adopt suboptimal technique. This paper begins by describing key elements of good running technique, including landing with a forefoot or midfoot strike pattern and leg oriented roughly vertically. Next, we review evidence from non-industrial societies that cultural attitudes about running associate with variation in running techniques. Then, we present new data from Tsimane forager-horticulturalists in Bolivia. Our findings suggest that running is neither a common activity among the Tsimane nor is it considered an important part of cultural identity. We also demonstrate that when Tsimane do run, they tend to use suboptimal technique, specifically landing with a rearfoot strike pattern and leg protracted ahead of the knee (called overstriding). Finally, we discuss processes by which culture might influence variation in running techniques among non-industrial societies, including self-optimisation and social learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J. Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Helen E. Davis
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Alexandra R. Harris
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel E. Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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37
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Mattison SM, Hare D, MacLaren NG, Reynolds AZ, Sum CY, Liu R, Shenk MK, Blumenfield T, Su M, Li H, Wander K. Context Specificity of “Market Integration” among the Matrilineal Mosuo of Southwest China. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/719266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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38
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Kraft TS, Venkataraman VV, Wallace IJ, Crittenden AN, Holowka NB, Stieglitz J, Harris J, Raichlen DA, Wood B, Gurven M, Pontzer H. The energetics of uniquely human subsistence strategies. Science 2021; 374:eabf0130. [PMID: 34941390 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Vivek V Venkataraman
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ian J Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jacob Harris
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - David A Raichlen
- Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brian Wood
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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39
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Schneider-Crease IA, Blackwell AD, Kraft TS, Emery Thompson M, Maldonado Suarez I, Cummings DK, Stieglitz J, Snyder-Mackler N, Gurven M, Kaplan H, Trumble BC. Helminth infection is associated with dampened cytokine responses to viral and bacterial stimulations in Tsimane forager-horticulturalists. Evol Med Public Health 2021; 9:349-359. [PMID: 34868595 PMCID: PMC8634526 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoab035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and humans share long co-evolutionary histories over which STHs have evolved strategies to permit their persistence by downregulating host immunity. Understanding the interactions between STHs and other pathogens can inform our understanding of human evolution and contemporary disease patterns. Methodology We worked with Tsimane forager-horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon, where STHs are prevalent. We tested whether STHs and eosinophil levels—likely indicative of infection in this population—are associated with dampened immune responses to in vitro stimulation with H1N1 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens. Whole blood samples (n = 179) were treated with H1N1 vaccine and LPS and assayed for 13 cytokines (INF-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, GM-CSF and TNF-ɑ). We evaluated how STHs and eosinophil levels affected cytokine responses and T helper (Th) 1 and Th2-cytokine suite responses to stimulation. Results Infection with Ascaris lumbricoides was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) associated with lower response of some cytokines to H1N1 and LPS in women. Eosinophils were significantly negatively associated with some cytokine responses to H1N1 and LPS, with the strongest effects in women, and associated with a reduced Th1- and Th2-cytokine response to H1N1 and LPS in women and men. Conclusions and implications Consistent with the ‘old friends’ and hygiene hypotheses, we find that STHs were associated with dampened cytokine responses to certain viral and bacterial antigens. This suggests that STH infections may play an essential role in immune response regulation and that the lack of STH immune priming in industrialized populations may increase the risk of over-reactive immunity. Lay Summary: Indicators of helminth infection were associated with dampened cytokine immune responses to in vitro stimulation with viral and bacterial antigens in Tsimane forager-horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon, consistent with the ‘old friends’ and hygiene hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aaron D Blackwell
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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40
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Fox M. Discrimination as a Moderator of the Effects of Acculturation and Cultural Values on Mental Health Among Pregnant and Postpartum Latina Women. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2021; 123:780-804. [PMID: 36776224 PMCID: PMC9909989 DOI: 10.1111/aman.13665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It is important to consider how identity, culture, and social adversity influence maternal mental health among Latina women both because this community faces unique cultural stressors and also because factors that undermine women's mental health during pregnancy and postpartum could have injurious consequences that cascade across generations. This study uses data from a questionnaire administered to Latina pregnant and postpartum women in Southern California, examining cultural orientation, discrimination, and mental health. Results demonstrate mental health benefits for both American and Latino cultural orientations, but the latter's benefit of lower anxiety was only apparent with high discrimination. American and Latino cultural values systems had opposite relationships with depression, with the latter protective and also positively associated with happiness. More traditional gender roles values were associated with greater perceived stress and lower happiness. Different aspects of familism had opposite effects as obligation was associated with less anxiety and referent (defining oneself communally with kin) with more. Results suggest that social adversity and cultural identity and values influence maternal psychology. This study makes a unique contribution by integrating anthropological and biopsychosocial methods and theories towards addressing an issue of public-health importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Fox
- Departments of Anthropology and Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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41
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Garcia AR, Finch C, Gatz M, Kraft T, Eid Rodriguez D, Cummings D, Charifson M, Buetow K, Beheim BA, Allayee H, Thomas GS, Stieglitz J, Gurven MD, Kaplan H, Trumble BC. APOE4 is associated with elevated blood lipids and lower levels of innate immune biomarkers in a tropical Amerindian subsistence population. eLife 2021; 10:68231. [PMID: 34586066 PMCID: PMC8480980 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In post-industrial settings, apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) is associated with increased cardiovascular and neurological disease risk. However, the majority of human evolutionary history occurred in environments with higher pathogenic diversity and low cardiovascular risk. We hypothesize that in high-pathogen and energy-limited contexts, the APOE4 allele confers benefits by reducing innate inflammation when uninfected, while maintaining higher lipid levels that buffer costs of immune activation during infection. Among Tsimane forager-farmers of Bolivia (N = 1266, 50% female), APOE4 is associated with 30% lower C-reactive protein, and higher total cholesterol and oxidized LDL. Blood lipids were either not associated, or negatively associated with inflammatory biomarkers, except for associations of oxidized LDL and inflammation which were limited to obese adults. Further, APOE4 carriers maintain higher levels of total and LDL cholesterol at low body mass indices (BMIs). These results suggest that the relationship between APOE4 and lipids may be beneficial for pathogen-driven immune responses and unlikely to increase cardiovascular risk in an active subsistence population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela R Garcia
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States.,Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
| | - Caleb Finch
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Dornsife College, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Margaret Gatz
- Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Thomas Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States
| | | | - Daniel Cummings
- Institute for Economics and Society, Chapman University, Orange, United States
| | - Mia Charifson
- Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University, New York, United States
| | - Kenneth Buetow
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | - Bret A Beheim
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hooman Allayee
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Gregory S Thomas
- Long Beach Memorial, Long Beach and University of California Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Universite Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Michael D Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Institute for Economics and Society, Chapman University, Orange, United States
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
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Abstract
Psychological research in small-scale societies is crucial for what it stands to tell us about human psychological diversity. However, people in these communities, typically Indigenous communities in the global South, have been underrepresented and sometimes misrepresented in psychological research. Here I discuss the promises and pitfalls of psychological research in these communities, reviewing why they have been of interest to social scientists and how cross-cultural comparisons have been used to test psychological hypotheses. I consider factors that may be undertheorized in our research, such as political and economic marginalization, and how these might influence our data and conclusions. I argue that more just and accurate representation of people from small-scale communities around the world will provide us with a fuller picture of human psychological similarity and diversity, and it will help us to better understand how this diversity is shaped by historical and social processes. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Clark Barrett
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA;
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43
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Cychosz M, Cristia A, Bergelson E, Casillas M, Baudet G, Warlaumont AS, Scaff C, Yankowitz L, Seidl A. Vocal development in a large-scale crosslinguistic corpus. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13090. [PMID: 33497512 PMCID: PMC8310893 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluates whether early vocalizations develop in similar ways in children across diverse cultural contexts. We analyze data from daylong audio recordings of 49 children (1-36 months) from five different language/cultural backgrounds. Citizen scientists annotated these recordings to determine if child vocalizations contained canonical transitions or not (e.g., "ba" vs. "ee"). Results revealed that the proportion of clips reported to contain canonical transitions increased with age. Furthermore, this proportion exceeded 0.15 by around 7 months, replicating and extending previous findings on canonical vocalization development but using data from the natural environments of a culturally and linguistically diverse sample. This work explores how crowdsourcing can be used to annotate corpora, helping establish developmental milestones relevant to multiple languages and cultures. Lower inter-annotator reliability on the crowdsourcing platform, relative to more traditional in-lab expert annotators, means that a larger number of unique annotators and/or annotations are required, and that crowdsourcing may not be a suitable method for more fine-grained annotation decisions. Audio clips used for this project are compiled into a large-scale infant vocalization corpus that is available for other researchers to use in future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Cychosz
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences & Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Alejandrina Cristia
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et de Psycholinguistique, Département d’études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
| | - Elika Bergelson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Marisa Casillas
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gladys Baudet
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anne S. Warlaumont
- Department of Communication, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Camila Scaff
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et de Psycholinguistique, Département d’études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Yankowitz
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Amanda Seidl
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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44
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Gans BD, Neunuebel AD, Umbarger LJ, Trumble BC, Cummings DK, Wann LS, Lehenbauer KR, Mahadev A, Rodriguez DE, Michalik DE, Rowan CJ, Finch CE, Sutherland ML, Sutherland JD, Allam AH, Stieglitz J, Gurven M, Kaplan H, Thomas GS, Thompson RC. High prevalence of sternal foramina in indigenous Bolivians compared to Midwest Americans and indigenous North Americans (sternal foramina in indigenous Bolivians). Anat Sci Int 2021; 96:517-523. [PMID: 34053001 DOI: 10.1007/s12565-021-00618-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The sternal foramen, usually an asymptomatic osteological defect, can lead to catastrophic consequences if not recognized prior to certain medical procedures. This study reports the prevalence of a sternal foramen in two South Amerindian populations compared with other published populations. We evaluated the presence of sternal foramina using thoracic computed tomography scans of 1334 (48% female) participants from two indigenous populations of Bolivia (n = 900 Tsimane, 434 Moseten). The prevalence of sternal foramina was compared to two U.S. populations of similar sex/age distribution (n = 572 Midwest Americans, 131 self-identified Native North Americans) via similar CT scans. A sternal foramen was significantly more common in the two Bolivian populations (prevalence ranging from 12.8 to 13.4%), compared to 4.4-5.1% in the two U.S. groups, consistent with prior estimates in studies from industrialized populations. Males had higher frequency of a sternal foramen compared to females in each of the four groups (OR = 1.904, 95% CI: 1.418-2.568, p < 0.001). Age was not associated with sternal foramen presence. These data show both a higher rate of sternal foramina in the South Amerindian populations versus comparator populations in North America and the highest rate of any studied living population. Although it is not possible to determine from our data the relative contribution of genetics versus early life or environmental causes to the higher rates of sternal foramen, we note that small prior studies have likewise demonstrated a higher prevalence in lower income countries. Further determination of the contributing factors warrants greater investigation and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Gans
- St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute of Kansas City, 4330 Wornall Rd., Suite 2000, Kansas City, MO, 64111, USA.,Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Smith, AR, USA
| | - Angela D Neunuebel
- St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute of Kansas City, 4330 Wornall Rd., Suite 2000, Kansas City, MO, 64111, USA.,University of Missouri -Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Leah J Umbarger
- Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Smith, AR, USA
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Tsimane Health and Life History Project, San Borja, Bolivia, USA
| | - Daniel K Cummings
- Tsimane Health and Life History Project, San Borja, Bolivia, USA.,Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | | | - Kyle R Lehenbauer
- St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute of Kansas City, 4330 Wornall Rd., Suite 2000, Kansas City, MO, 64111, USA.,University of Missouri -Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Ashna Mahadev
- St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute of Kansas City, 4330 Wornall Rd., Suite 2000, Kansas City, MO, 64111, USA.,University of Missouri -Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Daniel Eid Rodriguez
- Tsimane Health and Life History Project, San Borja, Bolivia, USA.,Institute of Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, San Simon University, Cochabamba, Bolivia, USA
| | - David E Michalik
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Irvine School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Chris J Rowan
- Renown Institute for Heart and Vascular Health, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Caleb E Finch
- University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Adel H Allam
- Department of Cardiology, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Tsimane Health and Life History Project, San Borja, Bolivia, USA.,Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Michael Gurven
- Tsimane Health and Life History Project, San Borja, Bolivia, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Tsimane Health and Life History Project, San Borja, Bolivia, USA.,Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Gregory S Thomas
- MemorialCare, Southern California, USA.,Division of Cardiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Randall C Thompson
- St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Institute of Kansas City, 4330 Wornall Rd., Suite 2000, Kansas City, MO, 64111, USA. .,University of Missouri -Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA.
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Jaeggi AV, Blackwell AD, von Rueden C, Trumble BC, Stieglitz J, Garcia AR, Kraft TS, Beheim BA, Hooper PL, Kaplan H, Gurven M. Do wealth and inequality associate with health in a small-scale subsistence society? eLife 2021; 10:59437. [PMID: 33988506 PMCID: PMC8225390 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In high-income countries, one’s relative socio-economic position and economic inequality may affect health and well-being, arguably via psychosocial stress. We tested this in a small-scale subsistence society, the Tsimane, by associating relative household wealth (n = 871) and community-level wealth inequality (n = 40, Gini = 0.15–0.53) with a range of psychological variables, stressors, and health outcomes (depressive symptoms [n = 670], social conflicts [n = 401], non-social problems [n = 398], social support [n = 399], cortisol [n = 811], body mass index [n = 9,926], blood pressure [n = 3,195], self-rated health [n = 2523], morbidities [n = 1542]) controlling for community-average wealth, age, sex, household size, community size, and distance to markets. Wealthier people largely had better outcomes while inequality associated with more respiratory disease, a leading cause of mortality. Greater inequality and lower wealth were associated with higher blood pressure. Psychosocial factors did not mediate wealth-health associations. Thus, relative socio-economic position and inequality may affect health across diverse societies, though this is likely exacerbated in high-income countries. Poverty is bad for health. People living in poverty are more likely to struggle to afford nutritious food, lack access to health care, or be overworked or stressed. This may make them susceptible to chronic diseases, contribute to faster aging, and shorten their lifespans. In high-income countries, there is growing evidence to suggest that a person’s ‘rank’ in society also impacts their health. For example, individuals who have a lower position in the social hierarchy report worse health outcomes, regardless of their incomes. But it is unclear why living in an unequal society or having a lower social status contributes to poorer health. One possibility is that inequalities in society are creating a stressful environment that leads to worse physical and mental outcomes. It is thought that this stress largely comes from how humans evolved to prioritize reaching a higher social status over having a long and healthy life. If this is the case, this would mean that the link between social status and health would also be present in non-industrialized communities where social hierarchies tend to be less pronounced. To test this, Jaeggi, Blackwell et al. studied the Indigenous Tsimane population in Bolivia who live in small communities and forage and farm their own food. The income and relative wealth of 870 households from 40 Tsimane communities were compared against various outcomes, including symptoms associated with depression, stress hormone levels, blood pressure, self-rated health and several diseases. Jaeggi, Blackwell et al. found poverty and inequality did not negatively impact all of the health outcomes measured as has been previously reported for industrialized societies. However, blood pressure was higher among people with lower incomes or those who lived in more unequal communities. But because the Tsimane people generally have low blood pressure, the differences were too small to have much effect on their health. People who lived in more unequal communities were also three times more likely to have respiratory infections, but the reason for this was unclear. This shows that social determinants such as a person’s wealth or inequality can affect health, even in communities with less rigid social hierarchies. In industrial societies the effect may be worse in part because they are compounded by lifestyle factors, such as diets rich in fat and sugar, and physical inactivity which can also increase blood pressure. This information may help policy makers reduce health disparities by addressing some of the social determinants of health and the lifestyle factors that cause them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian V Jaeggi
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
| | - Aaron D Blackwell
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pulman, United States
| | | | - Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | | | - Angela R Garcia
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States.,School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | - Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States
| | - Bret A Beheim
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paul L Hooper
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Irvine, United States.,Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, United States
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, Irvine, United States
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States
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Keestra SM, Male V, Salali GD. Out of balance: the role of evolutionary mismatches in the sex disparity in autoimmune disease. Med Hypotheses 2021; 151:110558. [PMID: 33964604 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2021.110558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Over the past century autoimmune disease incidence has increased rapidly in (post-) industrialised, affluent societies, suggesting that changes in ecology and lifestyle are driving this development. Epidemiological studies show that (i) 80% of autoimmune disease patients are female, (ii) autoimmune diseases co-occur more often in women, and (iii) the incidence of some autoimmune diseases is increasing faster in women than in men. The female preponderance in autoimmunity is most pronounced between puberty and menopause, suggesting that diverging sex hormone levels during the reproductive years are implicated in autoimmune disease development. Using an evolutionary perspective, we build on the hypotheses that female immunity is cyclical in menstruating species and that natural selection shaped the female immune system to optimise the implantation and gestation of a semi-allogeneic foetus. We propose that cyclical immunomodulation and female immune tolerance mechanisms are currently out of balance because of a mismatch between the conditions under which they evolved and (post-)industrialised, affluent lifestyles. We suggest that current changes in autoimmune disease prevalence may be caused by increases in lifetime exposure to cyclical immunomodulation and ovarian hormone exposure, reduced immune challenges, increased reproductive lifespan, changed reproductive patterns, and enhanced positive energy balance associated with (post-)industrialised, affluent lifestyles. We discuss proximate mechanisms by which oestrogen and progesterone influence tolerance induction and immunomodulation, and review the effect of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and contraceptive use on autoimmune disease incidence and symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarai M Keestra
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Global Health & Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
| | - Victoria Male
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
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Blackwell AD, Garcia AR, Keivanfar RL, Bay S. A field method for cryopreservation of whole blood from a finger prick for later analysis with flow cytometry. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 174:670-685. [PMID: 33595836 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Flow cytometry is a powerful tool for investigating immune function, allowing for the quantification of leukocytes by subtype. Yet it has not been used extensively for field work due to perishable reagents and the need for immediate analysis of samples. To make flow cytometry more accessible, we devise and evaluate a field protocol for freezing capillary blood. MATERIALS AND METHODS We collected finger prick blood samples from 110 volunteers, age 18 to 42. Blood samples were analyzed immediately for 18 cell surface markers. Aliquots of whole blood were frozen in the vapor phase of a liquid nitrogen tank with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide in medium. Samples were analyzed on a Guava EasyCyte HT flow cytometer after 2, 4, or 14 weeks. RESULTS Major lymphocyte fractions in frozen samples were correlated with fresh values (T-cells: r = 0.82; Natural Killer [NK] cells: r = 0.64; CD4: r = 0.67; CD8: r = 0.82; Naïve CD4: r = 0.73, Naïve CD8: r = 0.71; B-cells: r = 0.73; all p < 0.001), and mean values were similar to those from fresh samples. However, correlations for smaller subsets of CD4 and B cells were generally poor. Some differences resulted from changes in non-specific binding for some antibody-conjugate pairs. Cryopreservation also resulted in a reduction in granulocytes more than lymphocytes. DISCUSSION Our results suggest that antibody/fluorochrome combinations should be validated before use on frozen samples, and that functional changes in cells may affect some cell markers. However, this simple freezing protocol utilizing finger pricks, whole blood, and a liquid nitrogen shipping tank is viable for obtaining samples for flow cytometry under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron D Blackwell
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Angela R Garcia
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Ryan L Keivanfar
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.,Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Sarah Bay
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
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48
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Rowan CJ, Eskander MA, Seabright E, Rodriguez DE, Linares EC, Gutierrez RQ, Adrian JC, Cummings D, Beheim B, Tolstrup K, Achrekar A, Kraft T, Michalik DE, Miyamoto MI, Allam AH, Wann LS, Narula J, Trumble BC, Stieglitz J, Thompson RC, Thomas GS, Kaplan HS, Gurven MD. Very Low Prevalence and Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation among Bolivian Forager-Farmers. Ann Glob Health 2021; 87:18. [PMID: 33633929 PMCID: PMC7894370 DOI: 10.5334/aogh.3252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in post-industrialized populations. Older age, hypertension, obesity, chronic inflammation, and diabetes are significant atrial fibrillation risk factors, suggesting that modern urban environments may promote atrial fibrillation. Objective Here we assess atrial fibrillation prevalence and incidence among tropical horticulturalists of the Bolivian Amazon with high levels of physical activity, a lean diet, and minimal coronary atherosclerosis, but also high infectious disease burden and associated inflammation. Methods Between 2005-2019, 1314 Tsimane aged 40-94 years (52% female) and 534 Moseten Amerindians aged 40-89 years (50% female) underwent resting 12-lead electrocardiograms to assess atrial fibrillation prevalence. For atrial fibrillation incidence assessment, 1059 (81% of original sample) Tsimane and 310 Moseten (58%) underwent additional ECGs (mean time to follow up 7.0, 1.8 years, respectively). Findings Only one (male) of 1314 Tsimane (0.076%) and one (male) of 534 Moseten (0.187%) demonstrated atrial fibrillation at baseline. There was one new (female) Tsimane case in 7395 risk years for the 1059 participants with >1 ECG (incidence rate = 0.14 per 1,000 risk years). No new cases were detected among Moseten, based on 542 risk years. Conclusion Tsimane and Moseten show the lowest levels of atrial fibrillation ever reported, 1/20 to ~1/6 of rates in high-income countries. These findings provide additional evidence that a subsistence lifestyle with high levels of physical activity, and a diet low in processed carbohydrates and fat is cardioprotective, despite frequent infection-induced inflammation. Findings suggest that atrial fibrillation is a modifiable lifestyle disease rather than an inevitable feature of cardiovascular aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Edmond Seabright
- University of New Mexico, Department of Anthropology, New Mexico, USA
| | - Daniel Eid Rodriguez
- Universidad de San Simon, Bolivia
- Tsimane Health and Life History Project, San Borja, Beni, Bolivia
| | | | | | | | - Daniel Cummings
- University of New Mexico, Department of Anthropology, New Mexico, USA
| | - Bret Beheim
- Max Plank Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Behavior, Culture and Ecology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kirsten Tolstrup
- Cardiology, Dept. of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Abinash Achrekar
- University of New Mexico, Division of Cardiology, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Thomas Kraft
- University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Anthropology, USA
| | - David E. Michalik
- Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach, CA, USA
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jagat Narula
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Cardiology, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Randall C. Thompson
- Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
- University of Missouri–Kansas City, USA
| | - Gregory S. Thomas
- MemorialCare, Southern California, USA
- Division of Cardiology, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California, USA
| | - Hillard S. Kaplan
- Chapman University, Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Orange, California, USA
| | - Michael D. Gurven
- University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Anthropology, USA
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Stieglitz J, Hooper PL, Trumble BC, Kaplan H, Gurven MD. Productivity loss associated with functional disability in a contemporary small-scale subsistence population. eLife 2020; 9:e62883. [PMID: 33259289 PMCID: PMC7744098 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In comparative cross-species perspective, humans experience unique physical impairments with potentially large consequences. Quantifying the burden of impairment in subsistence populations is critical for understanding selection pressures underlying strategies that minimize risk of production deficits. We examine among forager-horticulturalists whether compromised bone strength (indicated by fracture and lower bone mineral density, BMD) is associated with subsistence task cessation. We also estimate the magnitude of productivity losses associated with compromised bone strength. Fracture is associated with cessation of hunting, tree chopping, and walking long distances, but not tool manufacture. Age-specific productivity losses from hunting cessation associated with fracture and lower BMD are substantial: ~397 lost kcals/day, with expected future losses of up to 1.9 million kcals (22% of expected production). Productivity loss is thus substantial for high strength and endurance tasks. Determining the extent to which impairment obstructs productivity in contemporary subsistence populations improves our ability to infer past consequences of impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Stieglitz
- Université Toulouse 1 CapitoleToulouseFrance
- Institute for Advanced Study in ToulouseToulouseFrance
| | - Paul L Hooper
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, 1 University DriveOrangeUnited States
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Life Sciences C, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State UniversityTempeUnited States
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, 1 University DriveOrangeUnited States
| | - Michael D Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
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