1
|
Rosinger AY, Bethancourt HJ, Swanson ZS, Lopez K, Kenney WL, Huanca T, Conde E, Nzunza R, Ndiema E, Braun DR, Pontzer H. Cross-cultural variation in thirst perception in hot-humid and hot-arid environments: Evidence from two small-scale populations. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23715. [PMID: 34942040 PMCID: PMC9177510 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Thirst is an evolved central homeostatic feedback system that helps regulate body water for survival. Little research has examined how early development and exposure to extreme environments and water availability affect thirst perception, particularly outside Western settings. Therefore, we compared two indicators of perceived thirst (current thirst and pleasantness of drinking water) using visual scales among Tsimane' forager-horticulturalists in the hot-humid Bolivian Amazon and Daasanach agro-pastoralists in hot-arid Northern Kenya. METHODS We examined how these measures of perceived thirst were associated with hydration status (urine specific gravity), ambient temperatures, birth season, age, and population-specific characteristics for 607 adults (n = 378 Tsimane', n = 229 Daasanach) aged 18+ using multi-level mixed-effect regressions. RESULTS Tsimane' had higher perceived thirst than Daasanach. Across populations, hydration status was unrelated to both measures of thirst. There was a significant interaction between birth season and temperature on pleasantness of drinking water, driven by Kenya data. Daasanach born in the wet season (in utero during less water availability) had blunted pleasantness of drinking water at higher temperatures compared to those born in the dry season (in utero during greater water availability). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest hydration status is not a reliable predictor of thirst perceptions in extreme-hot environments with ad libitum drinking. Rather, our findings, which require additional confirmation, point to the importance of water availability during gestation in affecting thirst sensitivity to heat and water feedback mechanisms, particularly in arid environments. Thirst regulation will be increasingly important to understand given climate change driven exposures to extreme heat and water insecurity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Asher Y. Rosinger
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Hilary J. Bethancourt
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Zane S. Swanson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kaylee Lopez
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - W. Larry Kenney
- Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Tomas Huanca
- Centro Boliviano de Investigación y Desarrollo Socio Integral, San Borja, Bolivia
| | - Esther Conde
- Centro Boliviano de Investigación y Desarrollo Socio Integral, San Borja, Bolivia
| | - Rosemary Nzunza
- Center for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - 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
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|