1
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Moes E, Kuzawa CW, Edgar HJH. Sex-specific effects of environmental temperature during gestation on fluctuating asymmetry in deciduous teeth. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024:e24944. [PMID: 38623790 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES External environmental heat exposure during gestation impacts the physiology of human development in utero, but evidence for these impacts has not yet been explored in dentition. We examined deciduous teeth for fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a measure of developmental instability, together with gestational environmental temperature data drawn from historical weather statistics. MATERIALS AND METHODS We measured dental casts from the longitudinal Burlington Growth Study, representing 172 participants (ages 3-6 years) with health records. FA was calculated from crown dimensions and intercuspal distances that develop during gestation. Multiple regression separated by sex (nfemale = 81) examined the effects of mean temperatures in each trimester, controlling for birth year. RESULTS In females, increased temperatures during the first trimester are significantly associated with an increase in FA (p = 0.03), specifically during the second and third prenatal months (p = 0.03). There is no relationship between temperature and FA for either sex in the second or third trimesters, when enamel is formed. DISCUSSION Dental instability may be sensitive to temperature in the first trimester in females during the scaffolding of crown shape and size in the earliest stages of tooth formation. Sexual dimorphism in growth investment strategies may explain the differences in results between males and females. Using enduring dental characteristics, these results advance our understanding of the effects of temperature on fetal physiology within a discrete period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Moes
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
- Department of Physician Assistant Studies, University of St. Francis, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Heather J H Edgar
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
- Office of the Medical Investigator, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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2
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Ryan CP, Lee NR, Carba DB, MacIsaac JL, Lin DTS, Atashzay P, Belsky DW, Kobor MS, Kuzawa CW. Pregnancy is linked to faster epigenetic aging in young women. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317290121. [PMID: 38588424 PMCID: PMC11032455 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317290121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
A central prediction of evolutionary theory is that energy invested into reproduction comes at the expense of somatic maintenance and repair, accelerating biological aging. Supporting this prediction are findings that high fertility among women predicts shorter lifespan and poorer health later in life. However, biological aging is thought to begin before age-related health declines, limiting the applicability of morbidity and mortality for studying the aging process earlier in life. Here, we examine the relationship between reproductive history and biological aging in a sample of young (20 to 22yo) men and women from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, located in the Philippines (n = 1,735). We quantify biological aging using six measures, collectively known as epigenetic clocks, reflecting various facets of cellular aging, health, and mortality risk. In a subset of women, we test whether longitudinal changes in gravidity between young and early-middle adulthood (25 to 31yo) are associated with changes in epigenetic aging during that time. Cross-sectionally, gravidity was associated with all six measures of accelerated epigenetic aging in women (n = 825). Furthermore, longitudinal increases in gravidity were linked to accelerated epigenetic aging in two epigenetic clocks (n = 331). In contrast, the number of pregnancies a man reported fathering was not associated with epigenetic aging among same-aged cohort men (n = 910). These effects were robust to socioecological, environmental, and immunological factors, consistent with the hypothesis that pregnancy accelerates biological aging and that these effects can be detected in young women in a high-fertility context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calen P. Ryan
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY10032
| | - Nanette R. Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City6000, Philippines
| | - Delia B. Carba
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City6000, Philippines
| | - Julie L. MacIsaac
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BCV5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - David T. S. Lin
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BCV5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Parmida Atashzay
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BCV5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Daniel W. Belsky
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY10032
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY10032
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, TorontoONM5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Michael S. Kobor
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BCV5Z 4H4, Canada
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, TorontoONM5G 1M1, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A1, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BCV5Z 4H4, Canada
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3
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Ragsdale HB, Lee NR, Kuzawa CW. Evidence that highly canalized fetal traits are sensitive to intergenerational effects of maternal developmental nutrition. Am J Biol Anthropol 2024; 183:e24883. [PMID: 38018347 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Maternal experiences before pregnancy predict birth outcomes, a key indicator of health trajectories, but the timing and pathways for these effects are poorly understood. Here we test the hypothesis that maternal pre-adult growth patterns predict pregnancy glucose and offspring fetal growth in Cebu, Philippines. METHODS Using multiple regression and path analysis, gestational age-adjusted birthweight and variables reflecting infancy, childhood, and post-childhood/adolescent weight gain (conditional weights) were used to predict pregnancy HbA1c and offspring birth outcomes among participants in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. RESULTS Maternal early/mid-childhood weight gain predicted birth weight, length, and head circumference in female offspring. Late-childhood/adolescent weight gain predicted birth length, birth weight, skinfold thickness, and head circumference in female offspring, and head circumference in male offspring. Pregnancy HbA1c did not mediate relationships between maternal growth and birth size parameters. DISCUSSION In Cebu, maternal growth patterns throughout infancy, childhood, and adolescence predict fetal growth via a pathway independent of circulating glucose, with stronger impacts on female than male offspring, consistent with a role of developmental nutrition on offspring fetal growth. Notably, the strength of relationships followed a pattern opposite to what occurs in response to acute pregnancy stress, with strongest effects on head circumference and birth length and weakest on skinfolds. We speculate that developmental sensitivities are reversed for stable, long-term nutritional cues that reflect average local environments. These findings are relevant to public health and life-history theory as further evidence of developmental influences on health and resource allocation across the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley B Ragsdale
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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4
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Gettler LT, Rosenbaum S, Bechayda SA, McDade TW, Kuzawa CW. Men's physical health and life history transitions in the Philippines: Evidence for 'marital selection' but not protective effects of partnering and fatherhood. Soc Sci Med 2024; 346:116732. [PMID: 38452489 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
In Euro-American societies, married people typically have lower overall risks for total mortality and for certain chronic conditions compared to non-married people. However, people becoming partnered and parents also tend to gain weight in Euro-American settings. Few studies have tested whether links between physical health and life history status translate to other cultural contexts where the socio-ecological dynamics of family life may differ. This limits the application of these insights to men's well-being in global public health. To help address this gap, we drew on a large, long-running birth cohort study of Filipino men, using data collected at three waves between 2005 and 2014 when men were 21.5-30.5 years old (N = 607, obs. = 1760). We tested for the effects of the transition to partnering (marriage/cohabitation) and fatherhood on men's physical health (waist circumference, fat-free mass index, and grip strength). Men becoming partnered or partnered fathers (P/PF) had comparable longitudinal physical health trajectories to men remaining single non-fathers. However, men who became P/PF by their mid 20s had higher fat-free mass index values than single non-fathers at each wave, with the largest effect observed when all men were single non-fathers at baseline. Men who became P/PF by their early 30s were also stronger than the reference group at baseline. Thus, men who were more muscular and stronger at baseline were more likely to transition to P/PF status, consistent with a 'marital selection' model. In complementary analyses, men did not exhibit adverse health effects when they became partnered fathers as young adults or parents to infants, respectively. These findings suggest that links between health and life history transitions in this setting differ from those commonly observed in Euro-American societies. While transitions to marriage and fatherhood are promising windows for interventions to improve men's health, our results highlight the importance of tailoring such approaches to local dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA; Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
| | - Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Sonny Agustin Bechayda
- USC Office of Population Studies Foundation, and Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, University of San Carlos, Metro Cebu, 6016, Philippines
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
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5
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Aronoff JE, McDade TW, Adair LS, Lee NR, Carba DB, MacIsaac JL, Dever K, Atashzay P, Kobor MS, Kuzawa CW. Socioeconomic status is negatively associated with immunosenescence but positively associated with inflammation among middle-aged women in Cebu, Philippines. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 115:101-108. [PMID: 37820972 PMCID: PMC10841485 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Socioeconomic status (SES) gradients in health are well-documented, and while biological pathways are incompletely understood, chronic inflammation and accelerated immune aging (immunosenescence) among lower SES individuals have been implicated. However, previous findings have come from samples in higher income countries, and it is unclear how generalizable they are to lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC) with different infectious exposures and where adiposity-an important contributor to chronic inflammation-might show different SES patterning. To address this gap, we explored associations between SES and inflammation and immunosenescence in a sample of women in Cebu, Philippines. METHODS Data came from the mothers of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey birth cohort (mean age: 47.7, range: 35-69 years). SES was measured as a combination of annual household income, education level, and assets. Chronic inflammation was measured using C-reactive protein (CRP) in plasma samples from 1,834 women. Immunosenescence was measured by the abundance of exhausted CD8T (CD8 + CD28-CD45RA-) and naïve CD8T and CD4T cells, estimated from DNA methylation in whole blood in a random subsample of 1,028. Possible mediators included waist circumference and a collection of proxy measures of pathogen exposure. RESULTS SES was negatively associated with the measures of immunosenescence, with slight evidence for mediation by a proxy measure for pathogen exposure from the household's drinking water source. In contrast, SES was positively associated with CRP, which was explained by the positive association with waist circumference. CONCLUSIONS Similar to higher income populations, in Cebu there is an SES-gradient in pathogen exposures and immunosenescence. However, lifestyle changes occurring more rapidly among higher SES individuals is contributing to a positive association between SES and adiposity and inflammation. Our results suggest more studies are needed to clarify the relationship between SES and inflammation and immunosenescence across LMIC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E Aronoff
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Linda S Adair
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Carolina Population Center, CB #8120, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Delia B Carba
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Julia L MacIsaac
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kristy Dever
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Parmida Atashzay
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Kim AW, Said Mohamed R, Norris SA, Naicker S, Richter LM, Kuzawa CW. Childhood adversity during the post-apartheid transition and COVID-19 stress independently predict adult PTSD risk in urban South Africa: A biocultural analysis of the stress sensitization hypothesis. Am J Biol Anthropol 2023; 182:620-631. [PMID: 37283092 PMCID: PMC10700668 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa introduced new societal adversities and mental health threats in a country where one in three individuals are expected to develop a psychiatric condition sometime in their life. Scientists have suggested that psychosocial stress and trauma during childhood may increase one's vulnerability to the mental health consequences of future stressors-a process known as stress sensitization. This prospective analysis assessed whether childhood adversity experienced among South African children across the first 18 years of life, coinciding with the post-apartheid transition, exacerbates the mental health impacts of psychosocial stress experienced during the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (ca. 2020-2021). MATERIALS AND METHODS Data came from 88 adults who participated in a follow-up study of a longitudinal birth cohort study in Soweto, South Africa. Childhood adversity and COVID-19 psychosocial stress were assessed as primary predictors of adult PTSD risk, and an interaction term between childhood adversity and COVID-19 stress was calculated to evaluate the potential effect of stress sensitization. RESULTS Fifty-six percent of adults exhibited moderate-to-severe PTSD symptoms. Greater childhood adversity and higher COVID-19 psychosocial stress independently predicted worse post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in adults. Adults who reported greater childhood adversity exhibited non-significantly worse PTSD symptoms from COVID-19 psychosocial stress. DISCUSSION These results highlight the deleterious mental health effects of both childhood trauma and COVID-19 psychosocial stress in our sample and emphasize the need for greater and more accessible mental health support as the pandemic progresses in South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Wooyoung Kim
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rihlat Said Mohamed
- SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shane A Norris
- SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Global Health Research Institute, School of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Sara Naicker
- SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Linda M Richter
- SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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7
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McDade TW, Ryan CP, Adair LS, Lee NR, Carba DB, MacIsaac JL, Dever K, Atashzay P, Kobor MS, Kuzawa CW. Reply to Nwanaji-Enwerema, 2023, "Exposome and low birthweight selection bias considerations in early life infections and epigenetic age relationships". Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23977. [PMID: 37555479 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Department of Epidemiology, Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Linda S Adair
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Carolina Population Center, CB #8120, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Delia B Carba
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Julia L MacIsaac
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- University of British Columbia, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kristy Dever
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- University of British Columbia, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Parmida Atashzay
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- University of British Columbia, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- University of British Columbia, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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8
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McDade TW, Ryan CP, Adair LS, Lee NR, Carba DB, MacIsaac JL, Dever K, Atashzay P, Kobor M, Kuzawa CW. Association between infectious exposures in infancy and epigenetic age acceleration in young adulthood in metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23948. [PMID: 37338007 PMCID: PMC10730771 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The drivers of human life expectancy gains over the past 200 years are not well-established, with a potential role for historical reductions in infectious disease. We investigate whether infectious exposures in infancy predict biological aging using DNA methylation-based markers that forecast patterns of morbidity and mortality later in life. METHODS N = 1450 participants from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey-a prospective birth cohort initiated in 1983-provided complete data for the analyses. Mean chronological age was 20.9 years when venous whole blood samples were drawn for DNA extraction and methylation analysis, with subsequent calculation of three epigenetic age markers: Horvath, GrimAge, and DunedinPACE. Unadjusted and adjusted least squares regression models were evaluated to test the hypothesis that infectious exposures in infancy are associated with epigenetic age. RESULTS Birth in the dry season, a proxy measure for increased infectious exposure in the first year of life, as well as the number of symptomatic infections in the first year of infancy, predicted lower epigenetic age. Infectious exposures were associated with the distribution of white blood cells in adulthood, which were also associated with measures of epigenetic age. CONCLUSIONS We document negative associations between measures of infectious exposure in infancy and DNA methylation-based measures of aging. Additional research, across a wider range of epidemiological settings, is needed to clarify the role of infectious disease in shaping immunophenotypes and trajectories of biological aging and human life expectancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W. McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University,
Evanston, IL 60208
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University,
Evanston, IL 60208
| | - Calen P. Ryan
- Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Department of
Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
| | - Linda S. Adair
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public
Health, Carolina Population Center, CB #8120, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill
| | - Nanette R. Lee
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San
Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City Philippines
| | - Delia B. Carba
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San
Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City Philippines
| | - Julia L. MacIsaac
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kristy Dever
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Parmida Atashzay
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Mike Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine,
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University,
Evanston, IL 60208
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University,
Evanston, IL 60208
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Rosenbaum S, Kuzawa CW. The promise of great apes as model organisms for understanding the downstream consequences of early life experiences. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105240. [PMID: 37211151 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Early life experiences have a significant influence on adult health and aging processes in humans. Despite widespread interest in the evolutionary roots of this phenomenon, very little research on this topic has been conducted in humans' closest living relatives, the great apes. The longitudinal data sets that are now available on wild and captive great ape populations hold great promise to clarify the nature, evolutionary function, and mechanisms underlying these connections in species which share key human life history characteristics. Here, we explain features of great ape life history and socioecologies that make them of particular interest for this topic, as well as those that may limit their utility as comparative models; outline the ways in which available data are complementary to and extend the kinds of data that are available for humans; and review what is currently known about the connections among early life experiences, social behavior, and adult physiology and biological fitness in our closest living relatives. We conclude by highlighting key next steps for this emerging area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, USA
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10
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Manus MB, Watson E, Kuthyar S, Carba D, Belarmino NM, McDade TW, Kuzawa CW, Amato KR. Prenatal household size and composition are associated with infant fecal bacterial diversity in Cebu, Philippines. Am J Biol Anthropol 2023; 181:45-58. [PMID: 36847111 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The gut microbiome (GM) connects physical and social environments to infant health. Since the infant GM affects immune system development, there is interest in understanding how infants acquire microbes from mothers and other household members. MATERIALS AND METHODS As a part of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), we paired fecal samples (proxy for the GM) collected from infants living in Metro Cebu, Philippines at 2 weeks (N = 39) and 6 months (N = 36) with maternal interviews about prenatal household composition. We hypothesized that relationships between prenatal household size and composition and infant GM bacterial diversity (as measured in fecal samples) would vary by infant age, as well as by household member age and sex. We also hypothesized that infant GM bacterial abundances would differ by prenatal household size and composition. RESULTS Data from 16 S rRNA bacterial gene sequencing show that prenatal household size was the most precise estimator of infant GM bacterial diversity, and that the direction of the association between this variable and infant GM bacterial diversity changed between the two time points. The abundances of bacterial families in the infant GM varied by prenatal household variables. CONCLUSIONS Results highlight the contributions of various household sources to the bacterial diversity of the infant GM, and suggest that prenatal household size is a useful measure for estimating infant GM bacterial diversity in this cohort. Future research should measure the effect of specific sources of household bacterial exposures, including social interactions with caregivers, on the infant GM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa B Manus
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Elijah Watson
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Sahana Kuthyar
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Delia Carba
- Office of Population Studies, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Nikola M Belarmino
- Office of Population Studies, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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11
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Kim AW, Said Mohamed R, Norris SA, Richter LM, Kuzawa CW. Psychological legacies of intergenerational trauma under South African apartheid: Prenatal stress predicts greater vulnerability to the psychological impacts of future stress exposure during late adolescence and early adulthood in Soweto, South Africa. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:110-124. [PMID: 35853622 PMCID: PMC10083984 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND South Africa's rates of psychiatric morbidity are among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa and are foregrounded by the country's long history of political violence during apartheid. Growing evidence suggests that in utero stress exposure is a potent developmental risk factor for future mental illness risk, yet the extent to which the psychiatric effects of prenatal stress impact the next generation are unknown. We evaluate the intergenerational effects of prenatal stress experienced during apartheid on psychiatric morbidity among children at ages 17-18 and also assess the moderating effects of maternal age, social support, and past household adversity. METHODS Participants come from Birth-to-Twenty, a longitudinal birth cohort study in Soweto-Johannesburg, South Africa's largest peri-urban township which was the epicentre of violent repression and resistance during the final years of the apartheid regime. Pregnant women were prospectively enrolled in 1990 and completed questionnaires assessing social experiences, and their children's psychiatric morbidity were assessed at ages 17-18. RESULTS Full data were available from 304 mother-child pairs in 2007-8. Maternal prenatal stress in 1990 was not directly associated greater psychiatric morbidity during at ages 17-18. Maternal age and past household adversity moderated the intergenerational mental health effects of prenatal stress such that children born to younger mothers and late adolescent/young adult children experiencing greater household adversity exhibited worse psychiatric morbidity at ages 17-18. Social support did not buffer against the long-term psychiatric impacts of prenatal stress. CONCLUSIONS Greater prenatal stress from apartheid predicted adverse psychiatric outcomes among children born to younger mothers and adolescents/young adults who experienced greater concurrent stress. Our findings suggest that prenatal stress may affect adolescent mental health, have stress-sensitising effects, and represent possible intergenerational effects of trauma experienced under apartheid in this sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Wooyoung Kim
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rihlat Said Mohamed
- SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shane A Norris
- SAMRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Global Health Research Institute, School of Human Development and Health, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Linda M Richter
- DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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12
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Kuzawa CW, Ryan CP, Adair LS, Lee NR, Carba DB, MacIsaac JL, Dever K, Atashzay P, Kobor MS, McDade TW. Birth weight and maternal energy status during pregnancy as predictors of epigenetic age acceleration in young adults from metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Epigenetics 2022; 17:1535-1545. [PMID: 35574972 PMCID: PMC9586628 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2022.2070105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic clocks quantify regular changes in DNA methylation that occur with age, or in relation to biomarkers of ageing, and are strong predictors of morbidity and mortality. Here, we assess whether measures of fetal nutrition and growth that predict adult chronic disease also predict accelerated biological ageing in young adulthood using a suite of commonly used epigenetic clocks. Data come from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), a long-running cohort followed since birth in metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Past work has shown that birth weight (BW) and the mother's arm fat during pregnancy (a measure of pregnancy energy status) relate inversely to health outcomes in the CLHNS but primarily in males. Genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed in whole blood using the Infinium EPIC array. Participants included males (n=895) and females (n=803) measured in 2005 (20.8-22.5 years). Clocks included the Hannum and Horvath clocks trained on chronological age, the DNAmPhenoAge and DNAmGrimAge clocks trained on clinical biomarkers, the Dunedin pace of ageing (DunedinPACE) clock trained on longitudinal changes in ageing biomarkers, and the DNAmTL clock trained on leukocyte telomere length. In males, lower BW predicted advanced biological ageing using the Hannum, DNAmPhenoAge, DunedinPoAm, and DNAmTL clocks. In contrast, BW did not predict any clock in female participants. Participants' mothers' pregnancy arm fat only predicted DNAmTL in males. These findings suggest that epigenetic clocks are a useful tool for gauging long-term outcomes predicted by fetal growth, and add to existing evidence in the CLHNS for sex differences in these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Butler Columbia Aging Center, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
| | - Linda S Adair
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City
| | - Delia B Carba
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City
| | - Julia L MacIsaac
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Kristy Dever
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Parmida Atashzay
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
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Ryan CP, Rege RJ, Lee NR, Carba DB, Kobor MS, MacIsaac JL, Lin DS, Atashzay P, Kuzawa CW. Maternal epigenetic clocks measured during pregnancy do not predict gestational age at delivery or offspring birth outcomes: a replication study in metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Clin Epigenetics 2022; 14:78. [PMID: 35733189 PMCID: PMC9219190 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-022-01296-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Adverse birth outcomes, such as early gestational age and low birth weight, can have lasting effects on morbidity and mortality, with impacts that persist into adulthood. Identifying the maternal factors that contribute to adverse birth outcomes in the next generation is thus a priority. Epigenetic clocks, which have emerged as powerful tools for quantifying biological aging and various dimensions of physiological dysregulation, hold promise for clarifying relationships between maternal biology and infant health, including the maternal factors or states that predict birth outcomes. Nevertheless, studies exploring the relationship between maternal epigenetic age and birth outcomes remain few. Here, we attempt to replicate a series of analyses previously reported in a US-based sample, using a larger similarly aged sample (n = 296) of participants of a long-running study in the Philippines. New pregnancies were identified prospectively, dried blood spot samples were collected during the third trimester, and information was obtained on gestational age at delivery and offspring weight after birth. Genome-wide DNA methylation was assessed with the Infinium EPIC array. Using a suite of 15 epigenetic clocks, we only found one significant relationship: advanced age on the epigenetic clock trained on leptin predicted a significantly earlier gestational age at delivery (β = - 0.15, p = 0.009). Of the other 29 relationships tested predicting gestational age and offspring birth weight, none were statistically significant. In this sample of Filipino women, epigenetic clocks capturing multiple dimensions of biology and health do not predict birth outcomes in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calen P Ryan
- Department of Epidemiology, Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA. .,Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| | - Raviraj J Rege
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Delia B Carba
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Julie L MacIsaac
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David S Lin
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Parmida Atashzay
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
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14
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Meloni M, Moll T, Issaka A, Kuzawa CW. A biosocial return to race? A cautionary view for the postgenomic era. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23742. [PMID: 35275433 PMCID: PMC9286859 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies demonstrating epigenetic and developmental sensitivity to early environments, as exemplified by fields like the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and environmental epigenetics, are bringing new data and models to bear on debates about race, genetics, and society. Here, we first survey the historical prominence of models of environmental determinism in early formulations of racial thinking to illustrate how notions of direct environmental effects on bodies have been used to naturalize racial hierarchy and inequalities in the past. Next, we conduct a scoping review of postgenomic work in environmental epigenetics and DOHaD that looks at the role of race/ethnicity in human health (2000–2021). Although there is substantial heterogeneity in how race is conceptualized and interpreted across studies, we observe practices that may unwittingly encourage typological thinking, including: using DNA methylation as a novel marker of racial classification; neglect of variation and reversibility within supposedly homogenous racial groups; and a tendency to label and reify whole groups as pathologized or impaired. Even in the very different politico‐economic and epistemic context of contemporary postgenomic science, these trends echo deeply held beliefs in Western thinking which claimed that different environments shape different bodies and then used this logic to argue for essential differences between Europeans and non‐Europeans. We conclude with a series of suggestions on interpreting and reporting findings in these fields that we feel will help researchers harness this work to benefit disadvantaged groups while avoiding the inadvertent dissemination of new and old forms of stigma or prejudice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Meloni
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tessa Moll
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia.,Department School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ayuba Issaka
- School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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15
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Ryan CP, Jones MJ, Edgar RD, Lee NR, Kobor MS, McDade TW, Kuzawa CW. Immune cell type and DNA methylation vary with reproductive status in women: possible pathways for costs of reproduction. Evol Med Public Health 2022; 10:47-58. [PMID: 35169479 PMCID: PMC8841013 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Consistent with evolutionarily theorized costs of reproduction (CoR), reproductive history in women is associated with life expectancy and susceptibility to certain cancers, autoimmune disorders and metabolic disease. Immunological changes originating during reproduction may help explain some of these relationships. Methodology To explore the potential role of the immune system in female CoR, we characterized leukocyte composition and regulatory processes using DNA methylation (DNAm) in a cross-sectional cohort of young (20–22 years old) women differing in reproductive status. Results Compared to nulliparity, pregnancy was characterized by differential methylation at 828 sites, 96% of which were hypomethylated and enriched for genes associated with T-cell activation, innate immunity, pre-eclampsia and neoplasia. Breastfeeding was associated with differential methylation at 1107 sites (71% hypermethylated), enriched for genes involved in metabolism, immune self-recognition and neurogenesis. There were no significant differences in DNAm between nulliparous and parous women. However, compared to nullipara, pregnant women had lower proportions of B, CD4T, CD8T and natural killer (NK) cells, and higher proportions of granulocytes and monocytes. Monocyte counts were lower and NK counts higher among breastfeeding women, and remained so among parous women. Implications Our findings point to widespread differences in DNAm during pregnancy and lactation. These effects appear largely transient, but may accumulate with gravidity become detectable as women age. Nulliparous and parous women differed in leukocyte composition, consistent with more persistent effects of reproduction on cell type. These findings support transient (leukocyte DNAm) and persistent (cell composition) changes associated with reproduction in women, illuminating potential pathways contributing to CoR. Lay Summary: Evolutionary theory and epidemiology support costs of reproduction (CoR) to women’s health that may involve changes in immune function. We report differences in immune cell composition and gene regulation during pregnancy and breastfeeding. While many of these differences appear transient, immune cell composition may remain, suggesting mechanisms for female CoR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Meaghan J Jones
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada.,Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada
| | | | - Nanette R Lee
- University of San Carlos Office of Population Studies Foundation Inc., Cebu City 6000, Philippines
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8, Canada
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8, Canada.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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16
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Rosenbaum S, Eckardt W, Stoinski TS, Umuhoza R, Kuzawa CW, Santymire RM. Group structure, but not dominance rank, predicts fecal androgen metabolite concentrations of wild male mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Am J Primatol 2021; 83:e23295. [PMID: 34223661 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Androgens are important mediators of male-male competition in many primate species. Male gorillas' morphology is consistent with a reproductive strategy that relies heavily on androgen-dependent traits (e.g., extreme size and muscle mass). Despite possessing characteristics typical of species with an exclusively single-male group structure, multimale groups with strong dominance hierarchies are common in mountain gorillas. Theory predicts that androgens should mediate their dominance hierarchies, and potentially vary with the type of group males live in. We validated the use of a testosterone enzyme immunoassay (T-EIA R156/7, CJ Munro, UC-Davis) for use with mountain gorilla fecal material by (1) examining individual-level androgen responses to competitive events, and (2) isolating assay-specific hormone metabolites via high-performance liquid chromatography. Males had large (2.6- and 6.5-fold), temporary increases in fecal androgen metabolite (FAM) after competitive events, and most captured metabolites were testosterone or 5α-dihydrotestosterone-like androgens. We then examined the relationship between males' dominance ranks, group type, and FAM concentrations. Males in single-male groups had higher FAM concentrations than males in multimale groups, and a small pool of samples from solitary males suggested they may have lower FAM than group-living peers. However, data from two different time periods (n = 1610 samples) indicated there was no clear relationship between rank and FAM concentrations, confirming results from the larger of two prior studies that measured urinary androgens. These findings highlight the need for additional research to clarify the surprising lack of a dominance hierarchy/androgen relationship in mountain gorillas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Winnie Eckardt
- Karisoke Research Center, Musanze, Rwanda.,The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Rachel M Santymire
- Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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17
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Ryan CP, Kuzawa CW. The temporary cost of dominance. eLife 2021; 10:68790. [PMID: 33929318 PMCID: PMC8087441 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In a population of wild baboons, a new way to assess biological age reveals a surprising effect of social hierarchy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States
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18
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Kuzawa CW. Pregnancy as an intergenerational conduit of adversity: how nutritional and psychosocial stressors reflect different historical timescales of maternal experience. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Kim AW, Adam EK, Bechayda SA, Kuzawa CW. Early life stress and HPA axis function independently predict adult depressive symptoms in metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Am J Phys Anthropol 2020; 173:448-462. [PMID: 32744374 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Alterations in adult hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity have increasingly been linked with early life stress and adult depression, but a limited number of studies have used longitudinal data to explore HPA axis dysregulation as an underlying mechanism driving the long-term depressive impacts of early stressors. Here we address potential long-term impacts of early life, family-based stress on depressive symptoms among young adults in a longitudinal birth cohort study begun in 1983 in the Philippines. MATERIALS AND METHODS We relate a composite measure of family-based stressors experienced between birth and adolescence to circadian dynamics in adult salivary cortisol and depressive risk measured at 21-22 years of age. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between early life stress levels and risk of adult depressive symptoms, as well as the role of adult diurnal cortisol activity in this relationship. RESULTS Greater levels of early life familial stress predicted more severe depressive symptomatology at age 21-22 in a dose-response fashion (p < .0001) independent of adult diurnal cortisol patterns. Flatter diurnal cortisol slopes are directly associated with higher adult depressive symptoms, an effect mostly driven by evening cortisol levels (p = .004). When considering the cumulative effects of early life stress measures, however, exposure to more of these stressors during development is associated with even higher depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION The long-term depressive effects of early life familial stress extend to this large sample of Cebuano young adults, and early life stress and HPA axis function may shape adult depressive symptoms through independent pathways in this sample. Our findings provide further evidence that HPA axis activity is shaped by early life conditions and is associated with depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Wooyoung Kim
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Emma K Adam
- School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Sonny A Bechayda
- Office of Population Studies, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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Kuzawa CW, Adair L, Bechayda SA, Borja JRB, Carba DB, Duazo PL, Eisenberg DTA, Georgiev AV, Gettler LT, Lee NR, Quinn EA, Rosenbaum S, Rutherford JN, Ryan CP, McDade TW. Evolutionary life history theory as an organising framework for cohort studies: insights from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Ann Hum Biol 2020; 47:94-105. [PMID: 32429766 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2020.1742787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
By tracking a group of individuals through time, cohort studies provide fundamental insights into the developmental time course and causes of health and disease. Evolutionary life history theory seeks to explain patterns of growth, development, reproduction and senescence, and inspires a range of hypotheses that are testable using the longitudinal data from cohort studies. Here we review two decades of life history theory-motivated work conducted in collaboration with the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), a birth cohort study that enrolled more than 3000 pregnant women in the Philippines in 1983 and has since followed these women, their offspring and grandoffspring. This work has provided evidence that reproduction carries "costs" to cellular maintenance functions, potentially speeding senescence, and revealed an unusual form of genetic plasticity in which the length of telomeres inherited across generations is influenced by reproductive timing in paternal ancestors. Men in Cebu experience hormonal and behavioural changes in conjunction with changes in relationship and fatherhood status that are consistent with predictions based upon other species that practice bi-parental care. The theoretical expectation that early life cues of mortality or environmental unpredictability will motivate a "fast" life history strategy are confirmed for behavioural components of reproductive decision making, but not for maturational tempo, while our work points to a broader capacity for early life developmental calibration of systems like immunity, reproductive biology and metabolism. Our CLHNS findings illustrate the power of life history theory as an integrative, lifecourse framework to guide longitudinal studies of human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Linda Adair
- Department of Nutrition and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sonny A Bechayda
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | | | - Delia B Carba
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Paulita L Duazo
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology and Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Elizabeth A Quinn
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, in St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Julienne N Rutherford
- Department of Women, Children, and Family Health Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Ryan CP, Kuzawa CW. Germline epigenetic inheritance: Challenges and opportunities for linking human paternal experience with offspring biology and health. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:180-200. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Calen P. Ryan
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
- Institute for Policy Research Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
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22
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Thayer ZM, Rutherford J, Kuzawa CW. The Maternal Nutritional Buffering Model: an evolutionary framework for pregnancy nutritional intervention. Evol Med Public Health 2020; 2020:14-27. [PMID: 32015877 PMCID: PMC6990448 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoz037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Evidence that fetal nutrition influences adult health has heightened interest in nutritional interventions targeting pregnancy. However, as is true for other placental mammals, human females have evolved mechanisms that help buffer the fetus against short-term fluctuations in maternal diet and energy status. In this review, we first discuss the evolution of increasingly elaborate vertebrate strategies of buffering offspring from environmental fluctuations during development, including the important innovation of the eutherian placenta. We then present the Maternal Nutritional Buffering Model, which argues that, in contrast to many micronutrients that must be derived from dietary sources, the effects of short-term changes in maternal macronutrient intake during pregnancy, whether due to a deficit or supplementation, will be minimized by internal buffering mechanisms that work to ensure a stable supply of essential resources. In contrast to the minimal effects of brief macronutrient supplementation, there is growing evidence that sustained improvements in early life and adult pre-pregnancy nutrition could improve birth outcomes in offspring. Building on these and other observations, we propose that strategies to improve fetal macronutrient delivery will be most effective if they modify the pregnancy metabolism of mothers by targeting nutrition prior to conception and even during early development, as a complement to the conventional focus on bolstering macronutrient intake during pregnancy itself. Our model leads to the prediction that birth weight will be more strongly influenced by the mother’s chronic pre-pregnancy nutrition than by pregnancy diet, and highlights the need for policy solutions aimed at optimizing future, intergenerational health outcomes. Lay summary: We propose that strategies to improve fetal macronutrient delivery will be most effective if they modify the pregnancy metabolism of mothers by targeting nutrition prior to conception and even during early development, as a complement to the conventional focus on bolstering macronutrient intake during pregnancy itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaneta M Thayer
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hinman Box 6047, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Julienne Rutherford
- Department of Women, Children and Family Health Science, University of Illinois Chicago, 845 S. Damen Ave., MC 802, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Ave, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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23
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McDade TW, Borja JB, Lee N, Aquino CT, Barrett T, Adair LS, Kuzawa CW. C-reactive protein response to influenza vaccination predicts cardiovascular disease risk in the Philippines. Biodemography Soc Biol 2020; 65:88-96. [PMID: 32065539 PMCID: PMC7032592 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2019.1597623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Inflammation is associated with increased risk for chronic degenerative diseases, as well as age-related functional declines across many systems and tissues. Current understandings of inflammation, aging, and human health are based on studies conducted almost exclusively in high-income nations that rely primarily on baseline measures of chronic inflammation. This analysis investigates the inflammatory response to vaccination as a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among older women in the Philippines, a lower-middle income nation with rising rates of overweight/obesity and relatively high burdens of infectious disease. Concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at baseline and 72 h following influenza vaccination in 530 women (mean age = 55.2 years). Ankle-brachial index (ABI) - an indicator of peripheral arterial disease and broader CVD risk - was measured approximately three years later. The magnitude of CRP response to vaccination was positively associated with ABI, indicating that a larger inflammatory response predicts lower CVD risk. Baseline CRP was negatively associated with CRP response to vaccination, and was not associated with ABI independently of CRP response. These results suggest that research across ecological settings, and with more dynamic measures of inflammatory response and regulation, may yield important insights into the associations among inflammation, aging, and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W. McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
- Corresponding author Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60208, Phone: 847/467-4304, Fax: 847/467-1778,
| | - Judith B. Borja
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Nanette Lee
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
- Department of Anthropology, Sociology and History, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | | | - Tyler Barrett
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
| | - Linda S. Adair
- Carolina Population Center and Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
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24
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Eisenberg DTA, Rej PH, Duazo P, Carba D, Hayes MG, Kuzawa CW. Testing for paternal influences on offspring telomere length in a human cohort in the Philippines. Am J Phys Anthropol 2019; 171:520-528. [PMID: 31845317 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Telomeres, emerging biomarkers of aging, are comprised of DNA repeats located at chromosomal ends that shorten with cellular replication and age in most human tissues. In contrast, spermatocyte telomeres lengthen with age. These changes in telomere length (TL) appear to be heritable, as older paternal ages of conception (PAC) predict longer offspring TL. Mouse-model studies raise questions about the potential for effects of paternal experiences on human offspring TL, as they suggest that smoking, inflammation, DNA damage, and stressors all shorten sperm TL. Here, we examined whether factors from the paternal environment predict offspring TL as well as interact with PAC to predict offspring TL. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using data from the Philippines, we tested if smoking, psychosocial stressors, or shorter knee height (a measure of early life adversity) predict shorter offspring TL. We also tested if these interacted with PAC in predicting offspring TL. RESULTS While we did not find the predicted associations, we observed a trend toward fathers with shorter knee height having offspring with longer TL. In addition, we found that knee height interacted with PAC to predict offspring TL. Specifically, fathers with shorter knee heights showed a stronger positive effect of PAC on offspring TL. DISCUSSION While the reasons for these associations remain uncertain, shorter knee height is characteristic of earlier puberty. Since spermatocyte TL increases with the production of sperm, we speculate that individuals with earlier puberty, and its concomitant commencement of production of sperm, had more time to accumulate longer sperm telomeres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Peter H Rej
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Paulita Duazo
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Delia Carba
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - M Geoffrey Hayes
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.,Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.,Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
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25
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Rutherford JN, Victoria A deMartelly, Ragsdale HB, Avila JL, Lee NR, Kuzawa CW. Global population variation in placental size and structure: Evidence from Cebu, Philippines. Placenta 2019; 85:40-48. [PMID: 31445348 PMCID: PMC6742541 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2019.08.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Placental morphology influences the intrauterine environment and fetal growth, which help set life-course health trajectories across generations. Little is known about placental characteristics in populations with chronic nutritional insufficiency where birth weights tend to be lower, and how these relationships between birth and placental weights vary across populations. METHODS We collected weights and stereologically-determined villous mass and surface area of 21 placentas from offspring of women enrolled in a birth cohort study in metropolitan Cebu, Philippines, a low-income population. We identified 15 samples from other global populations ranging from low to high income that had similar data to ours to assess patterns of variation between birth and placental weights and microscopic characteristics. We ranked the population samples in order for each characteristic. RESULTS Mean birth weight in Cebu was 3162 ± 80 g (ranked 9/16) and placental weight was 454 ± 32 g (ranked 12/16). Birth:placental weight ratio was 7.0 (ranked 3/16). Average villous surface area for Cebu placentas was 6.5 m2 (ranked 9/12); Birth weight:villous surface area was 0.048 g/m2 (ranked 4/12). DISCUSSION Placentas from Cebu produced heavier neonates per units of placental weight and villous surface area than most other populations, despite lower villous surface areas and less complex surface-to-volume topography. This range of placental efficiency spurs questions about the mechanisms by which placental morphology optimizes efficiency in different environmental contexts during gestation. Placental variation both within and across populations is likely due to many intersecting environmental, metabolic, and (epi)genetic factors that will require additional research to clarify.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julienne N Rutherford
- Department of Women, Children, and Family Health, Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | | | - Haley B Ragsdale
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Josephine L Avila
- USC- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC- Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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26
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Masterson EE, Hayes MG, Kuzawa CW, Lee NR, Eisenberg DTA. Early life growth and adult telomere length in a Filipino cohort study. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 31:e23299. [PMID: 31380592 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We investigated the relationship between early life growth patterns and blood telomere length (TL) in adulthood using conditional measures of lean and fat mass growth to evaluate potentially sensitive periods of early life growth. METHODS This study included data from 1562 individuals (53% male; age 20-22 years) participating in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey, located in metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Primary exposures included length-for-age z-score (HAZ) and weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) at birth and conditional measures of linear growth and weight gain during four postnatal periods: 0-6, 6-12, and 12-24 months, and 24 months to 8.5 years. TL was measured at ~21 years of age. We estimated associations using linear regression. RESULTS The study sample had an average gestational age (38.5 ± 2 weeks) and birth size (HAZ = -0.2 ± 1.1, WAZ = -0.7 ± 1.0), but by age 8.5 years had stunted linear growth (HAZ = -2.1 ± 0.9) and borderline low weight (WAZ = -1.9 ± 1.0) relative to World Health Organization references. Heavier birth weight was associated with longer TL in early adulthood (P = .03), but this association was attenuated when maternal age at birth was included in the model (P = .07). Accelerated linear growth between 6 and 12 months was associated with longer TL in adulthood (P = .006), whereas weight gain between 12 and 24 months was associated with shorter TL in adulthood (P = .047). CONCLUSIONS In Cebu, individuals who were born heavier have longer TL in early adulthood, but that birthweight itself may not explain the association. Findings suggest that childhood growth is associated with the cellular senescence process in adulthood, implying early life well-being may be linked to adult health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Masterson
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - M Geoffrey Hayes
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.,Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines.,Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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27
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Blair C, Kuzawa CW, Willoughby MT. The development of executive function in early childhood is inversely related to change in body mass index: Evidence for an energetic tradeoff? Dev Sci 2019; 23:e12860. [PMID: 31102547 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
A well-established literature demonstrates executive function (EF) deficits in obese children and adults relative to healthy weight comparisons. EF deficits in obesity are associated with overeating and impulsive consumption of high calorie foods leading to excess weight gain and to problems with metabolic regulation and low-grade inflammation that detrimentally affect the structure and function of prefrontal cortex. Here, we test a complementary explanation for the relation between EF and body mass index (BMI) grounded in the energy demand of the developing brain. Recent work shows that the brain accounts for a lifetime peak of 66% of resting metabolic rate in childhood and that developmental changes in brain energetics and normative changes in body weight gain are closely inversely related. This finding suggests a trade-off in early childhood between energy used to support brain development versus energy used to support physical growth and fat deposition. To test this theorized energetic trade-off, we analyzed data from a large longitudinal sample (N = 1,292) and found that change in EF from age 3 to 5 years, as a proxy for brain development in energetically costly prefrontal cortex, is inversely related to change in BMI from age 2 to 5 years. Greater linear decline in BMI predicted greater linear increase in EF. We interpret this finding as tentative support for a brain-body energetic trade-off in early childhood with implications for lifetime obesity risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clancy Blair
- Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, New York, New York.,Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Michael T Willoughby
- Education and Workforce Development, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
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28
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Eisenberg DTA, Lee NR, Rej PH, Hayes MG, Kuzawa CW. Older paternal ages and grandpaternal ages at conception predict longer telomeres in human descendants. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190800. [PMID: 31138065 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) declines with age in most human tissues, and shorter TL appears to accelerate senescence. By contrast, men's sperm TL is positively correlated with age. Correspondingly, in humans, older paternal age at conception (PAC) predicts longer offspring TL. We have hypothesized that this PAC effect could persist across multiple generations, and thereby contribute to a transgenerational genetic plasticity that increases expenditures on somatic maintenance as the average age at reproduction is delayed within a lineage. Here, we examine TL data from 3282 humans together with PAC data across four generations. In this sample, the PAC effect is detectable in children and grandchildren. The PAC effect is transmitted through the matriline and patriline with similar strength and is characterized by a generational decay. PACs of more distant male ancestors were not significant predictors, although statistical power was limited in these analyses. Sensitivity analyses suggest that the PAC effect is linear, not moderated by offspring age, or maternal age, and is robust to controls for income, urbanicity and ancestry. These findings show that TL reflects the age at the reproduction of recent male matrilineal and patrilineal ancestors, with an effect that decays across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan T A Eisenberg
- 1 Department of Anthropology, University of Washington , Campus Box 353100, Seattle, WA 98195 , USA.,2 Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington , Campus Box 353100, Seattle, WA 98195 , USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- 3 USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos , Cebu City , Philippines.,4 Department of Anthropology, Sociology and History, University of San Carlos , Cebu City , Philippines
| | - Peter H Rej
- 1 Department of Anthropology, University of Washington , Campus Box 353100, Seattle, WA 98195 , USA
| | - M Geoffrey Hayes
- 5 Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago, IL , USA.,6 Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago, IL , USA.,7 Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University , Chicago, IL , USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- 7 Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University , Chicago, IL , USA.,8 Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University , Chicago, IL , USA
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29
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Ragsdale HB, Kuzawa CW, Borja JB, Avila JL, McDade TW. Regulation of inflammation during gestation and birth outcomes: Inflammatory cytokine balance predicts birth weight and length. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 31:e23245. [PMID: 30980448 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The maternal environment during gestation influences offspring health at birth and throughout the life course. Recent research has demonstrated that endogenous immune processes such as dysregulated inflammation adversely impact birth outcomes, increasing the risk for preterm birth and restricted fetal growth. Prior analyses examining this association suggest a relationship between maternal C-reactive protein (CRP), a summary measure of inflammation, and offspring anthropometric outcomes. This study investigates pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and their ratio, to gain deeper insight into the regulation of inflammation during pregnancy. METHODS IL6, IL10, TNFɑ, and CRP were quantified in dried blood spots collected in the early third trimester (mean = 29.9 weeks) of 407 pregnancies in Metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Relationships between these immune markers and offspring anthropometrics (birth weight, length, head circumference, and sum of skinfold thicknesses) were evaluated using multivariate regression analyses. Ratios of pro- to anti-inflammatory cytokines were generated. RESULTS Higher maternal IL6 relative to IL10 was associated with reduced offspring weight and length at birth. Individual cytokines did not predict birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with the idea that the relative balance of cytokines with pro- and anti-inflammatory effects is a key regulator of inflammation in pregnancy, the IL6:IL10 ratio, but neither cytokine on its own, predicted offspring birth outcomes. Our findings suggest that prior reports of association between CRP and fetal growth may reflect, in part, the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and that the gestational environment is significantly shaped by cytokine imbalance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley B Ragsdale
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Judith B Borja
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.,Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Josephine L Avila
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.,Department of Architecture, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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30
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Kuzawa CW, Barrett TM, Borja JB, Lee NR, Aquino CT, Adair LS, McDade TW. Ankle brachial index (ABI) in a cohort of older women in the Philippines: Prevalence of peripheral artery disease and predictors of ABI. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 31:e23237. [PMID: 30950564 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rising in low and middle-income countries, but studies of CVD epidemiology in such settings often focus on risk factors rather than measures of disease progression. Here we use the ankle brachial index (ABI) to assess the prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) among older women living in Metropolitan Cebu, Philippines, and relationships between ABI and CVD risk factors and body composition. METHODS ABI was measured using the Doppler technique in 538 female participants in the 2015 Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (mean age 58 years, range 47-78 years). ABI was related to a panel of CVD risk factors measured in 2005 and 2012, and to 2012 body composition measures. RESULTS The prevalence of PAD (1.8%) was among the lowest reported in any comparably-aged sample, and only 9.9% of participants had an ABI indicating borderline PAD risk. Smoking (P < 0.011) and use of CVD medications (P < 0.0001) predicted lower ABI (indicating higher PAD risk), which was also lower in relation to 2012 systolic blood pressure (P < 0.054). ABI was unrelated to other CVD risk factors. An apparent protective relationship between body mass index (BMI) and ABI, noted in previous studies, was found to be confounded by protective relationships between ABI and fat free mass, height, and grip strength (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of PAD is low in Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey participants, and ABI was related to few CVD risk factors. Past reports of lower PAD risk in relation to BMI may reflect confounding by lean mass, which has protective relationships with ABI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Tyler M Barrett
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Judith B Borja
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.,Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.,Department of Anthropology, Sociology and History, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Celine T Aquino
- Department of Medicine, Cebu Institute of Medicine, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Linda S Adair
- Carolina Population Center and Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
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31
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Harrington AR, Kuzawa CW, Boyer DM. Carotid foramen size in the human skull tracks developmental changes in cerebral blood flow and brain metabolism. Am J Phys Anthropol 2019; 169:161-169. [PMID: 30821356 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In humans, neuronal processes related to brain development elevate the metabolic rate of brain tissue relative to the body during early childhood. This phenomenon has been hypothesized to contribute to slow somatic growth in preadolescent Homo sapiens. The uncoupling of the brain's metabolic rate from brain size during development complicates the study of the evolutionary emergence of these traits in the fossil record. Here, we extend a method previously developed to predict interspecific differences in cerebral blood flow (a correlate of cerebral glucose use) to predict ontogenetic changes in human brain metabolism. MATERIALS AND METHODS Radii of the carotid foramen from an ontogenetic series of modern human crania were used to predict blood flow rates through the internal carotid arteries (ICA), which were compared to empirically measured ICA flow and brain metabolism values. RESULTS Predictions of both absolute ICA blood flow rates and perfusion (ICA blood flow rates relative to brain size) generally match measured values in infancy and childhood. Maximum predicted ICA blood flow rates and perfusion were found to occur between ages 5 and 8, which roughly correspond to the age of maximum measured ICA blood flow rate and absolute and brain mass-specific rate of whole brain glucose uptake. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that, during human growth and development, the size of the carotid foramen corresponds well to blood flow requirements through the ICA, and the method tested here may provide new opportunities for studying developmental changes in brain metabolism using osteological samples, including fossil hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna R Harrington
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | - Doug M Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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32
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Gettler LT, Kuo PX, Rosenbaum S, Avila JL, McDade TW, Kuzawa CW. Sociosexuality, testosterone, and life history status: prospective associations and longitudinal changes among men in Cebu, Philippines. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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33
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McDade TW, Ryan CP, Jones MJ, Hoke MK, Borja J, Miller GE, Kuzawa CW, Kobor MS. Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in relation to socioeconomic status during development and early adulthood. Am J Phys Anthropol 2019; 169:3-11. [PMID: 30771258 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Socioeconomic status (SES) is a powerful determinant of health, but the underlying biological mechanisms are poorly understood. This study investigates whether levels of DNA methylation at CpG sites across the genome are associated with SES in a cohort of young adults in the Philippines. METHODS DNA methylation was assayed with the Illumina HumanMethylation450 Bead Chip, in leukocytes from 489 participants in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (mean age = 20.9 years). SES was measured in infancy/childhood and adulthood, and was based on composite measures of income, assets, and education. Genome-wide analysis of variable probes identified CpG sites significantly associated with SES after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Functional enrichment analysis was used to identify biological pathways associated with these sites. RESULTS A total of 2,546 CpG sites, across 1,537 annotated genes, were differentially methylated in association with SES. In comparison with high SES, low SES was associated with increased methylation at 1,777 sites, and decreased methylation at 769 sites. Functional enrichment analysis identified over-representation of biological pathways related to immune function, skeletal development, and development of the nervous system. CONCLUSIONS Socioeconomic status predicts DNA methylation at a large number of CpG sites across the genome. The scope of these associations is commensurate with the wide range of biological systems and health outcomes that are shaped by SES, and these findings suggest that DNA methylation may play an important role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Meaghan J Jones
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute.,Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba
| | - Morgan K Hoke
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Judith Borja
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc., University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.,Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Gregory E Miller
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
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Eisenberg DTA, Kuzawa CW. The paternal age at conception effect on offspring telomere length: mechanistic, comparative and adaptive perspectives. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2016.0442. [PMID: 29335366 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are repeating DNA found at the ends of chromosomes that, in the absence of restorative processes, shorten with cell replications and are implicated as a cause of senescence. It appears that sperm telomere length (TL) increases with age in humans, and as a result offspring of older fathers inherit longer telomeres. We review possible mechanisms underlying this paternal age at conception (PAC) effect on TL, including sperm telomere extension due to telomerase activity, age-dependent changes in the spermatogonial stem cell population (possibly driven by 'selfish' spermatogonia) and non-causal confounding. In contrast to the lengthening of TL with PAC, higher maternal age at conception appears to predict shorter offspring TL in humans. We review evidence for heterogeneity across species in the PAC effect on TL, which could relate to differences in statistical power, sperm production rates or testicular telomerase activity. Finally, we review the hypothesis that the PAC effect on TL may allow a gradual multi-generational adaptive calibration of maintenance effort, and reproductive lifespan, to local demographic conditions: descendants of males who reproduced at a later age are likely to find themselves in an environment where increased maintenance effort, allowing later reproduction, represents a fitness improving resource allocation.This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Rosenbaum S, Gettler LT, McDade TW, Bechayda SS, Kuzawa CW. Does a man's testosterone “rebound” as dependent children grow up, or when pairbonds end? A test in Cebu, Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2018; 30:e23180. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
| | - Lee T. Gettler
- Department of Anthropology University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana
- Eck Institute for Global Health University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana
| | - Thomas W. McDade
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
| | - Sonny S. Bechayda
- Office of Population Studies University of San Carlos Cebu Philippines
- Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History University of San Carlos Cebu Philippines
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
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Rosenbaum S, Gettler LT, McDade TW, Belarmino NM, Kuzawa CW. The effects of collection and storage conditions in the field on salivary testosterone, cortisol, and sIgA values. Ann Hum Biol 2018; 45:428-434. [PMID: 30326745 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2018.1495263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
AIM To determine if field-typical storage and collection conditions are related to salivary testosterone (T), cortisol (cort) and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) as measured using commercially available kits. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This study assessed whether storage time (∼6 months to 1.5 years) at -35 °C impacted levels of the measured biomarkers (n = 10,247 samples). For a sub-set of T samples (n = 2954), we also evaluated the impact of collection conditions, such as time spent at room temperature in participants' homes (0-39 hours) and time spent in coolers (0.3-10 hours) in transit. RESULTS T was unrelated to storage and collection variables and there was no evidence of reduced sample fidelity at longer storage times. Cort samples stored at -35 °C for longer had significantly lower values, but the effect was small (β = -0.003 nmol/L/day, SE <0.001, p = 0.005). sIgA trended higher with longer storage at -35 °C (β = 0.84 µg/mL/day, SE = 0.45, p = 0.063). Collection and storage time variables did not improve the fit of any of the models except the one that evaluated cortisol. CONCLUSIONS Salivary T was unaffected by extended storage at -35 °C and only a weak relationship was found between storage time and salivary cort or sIgA. Findings underscore the robustness of these biomarkers under field-typical freezer storage conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Rosenbaum
- a Department of Anthropology , Northwestern University , Evanston , IL , USA
| | - Lee T Gettler
- b Department of Anthropology , University of Notre Dame , Notre Dame , IN , USA.,c The Eck Institute of Global Health , University of Notre Dame , Notre Dame , IN , USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- a Department of Anthropology , Northwestern University , Evanston , IL , USA.,d Institute for Policy Research , Northwestern University , Evanston , IL , USA
| | - Nikola M Belarmino
- e Department of Nutrition and Dietetics , University of San Carlos , Cebu City , Philippines.,f Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc. , University of San Carlos , Cebu City , Philippines
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- a Department of Anthropology , Northwestern University , Evanston , IL , USA.,d Institute for Policy Research , Northwestern University , Evanston , IL , USA
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Rosenbaum S, Vigilant L, Kuzawa CW, Stoinski TS. Caring for infants is associated with increased reproductive success for male mountain gorillas. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15223. [PMID: 30323256 PMCID: PMC6189178 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33380-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Socioecological theory predicts that male parenting among mammals should be rare due to the large payoffs of prioritizing mating effort over parenting. Although these predictions are generally met, in some promiscuous primate species males overcome this by identifying their offspring, and providing benefits such as protection and resource access. Mountain gorillas, which often organize into multi-male groups, are an intriguing exception. Males frequently affiliate with infants despite not discriminating their own from other males' offspring, raising questions about the function of this behavior. Here we demonstrate that, independent of multiple controls for rank, age, and siring opportunities, male gorillas who affiliated more with all infants, not only their own, sired more offspring than males who affiliated less with young. Predictive margins indicate males in the top affiliation tertile can expect to sire approximately five times more infants than males in the bottom tertile, across the course of their reproductive careers. These findings establish a link between males' fitness and their associations with infants in the absence of kin discrimination or high paternity certainty, and suggest a strategy by which selection could generate more involved male parenting among non-monogamous species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Tennyson RL, Gettler LT, Kuzawa CW, Hayes MG, Agustin SS, Eisenberg DTA. Lifetime socioeconomic status and early life microbial environments predict adult blood telomere length in the Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2018; 30:e23145. [PMID: 30129279 PMCID: PMC6192840 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Psychosocial stress is postulated to hasten senescence in part by accelerating the shortening of telomere length (TL). One pathway through which this may happen is via increasing inflammation and innate immune system activation-a pathway which recent studies suggest acts more strongly for those who grew up in low microbial environments. Thus, we hypothesized that: (1) Psychosocial stress will be inversely associated with TL, (2) early life microbial environments will predict TL, and (3) microbial environments will moderate the association between psychosocial stress and TL. METHODS We utilized data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey based in the Philippines (N = 1410). We determined early life microbial environments by season of birth and exposure to animal feces. Psychosocial stress measures included perceived stress in adulthood, lifetime socioeconomic status (SES), and parental instability in childhood. TL was measured in blood from young adults by qPCR. RESULTS Contrary to predictions, we found that higher SES was associated with shorter TL and no association of TL with the other stress variables. Individuals born in the higher microbial exposure season had shorter TL, but early life microbial environments did not moderate the association between psychosocial stress and TL. CONCLUSIONS The unexpected inverse association between SES and TL suggests that higher SES, while indexing lower psychosocial stress, may impact TL more strongly through nonstress factors in the Philippines, such as unhealthy behavior. The inverse association between microbial environments and TL is consistent with other evidence connecting early life infections to decreased life expectancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Tennyson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington
- Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Cells 2 Society: the Center for Social Disparities and Health, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University
| | - M. Geoffrey Hayes
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
| | - Sonny S Agustin
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Dan TA Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington
- Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington
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Sarma MS, Kuo PX, Bechayda SA, Kuzawa CW, Gettler LT. Exploring the links between early life and young adulthood social experiences and men's later life psychobiology as fathers. Physiol Behav 2018; 193:82-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.11.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Ryan CP, Hayes MG, Lee NR, McDade TW, Jones MJ, Kobor MS, Kuzawa CW, Eisenberg DTA. Reproduction predicts shorter telomeres and epigenetic age acceleration among young adult women. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11100. [PMID: 30038336 PMCID: PMC6056536 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29486-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary theory predicts that reproduction entails costs that detract from somatic maintenance, accelerating biological aging. Despite support from studies in human and non-human animals, mechanisms linking 'costs of reproduction' (CoR) to aging are poorly understood. Human pregnancy is characterized by major alterations in metabolic regulation, oxidative stress, and immune cell proliferation. We hypothesized that these adaptations could accelerate blood-derived cellular aging. To test this hypothesis, we examined gravidity in relation to telomere length (TL, n = 821) and DNA-methylation age (DNAmAge, n = 397) in a cohort of young (20-22 year-old) Filipino women. Age-corrected TL and accelerated DNAmAge both predict age-related morbidity and mortality, and provide markers of mitotic and non-mitotic cellular aging, respectively. Consistent with theoretical predictions, TL decreased (p = 0.031) and DNAmAge increased (p = 0.007) with gravidity, a relationship that was not contingent upon resource availability. Neither biomarker was associated with subsequent fertility (both p > 0.3), broadly consistent with a causal effect of gravidity on cellular aging. Our findings provide evidence that reproduction in women carries costs in the form of accelerated aging through two independent cellular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
| | - M Geoffrey Hayes
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- Office of Population Studies Foundation Inc., Cebu City, Philippines
- Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, M5G 1Z8, Canada
| | - Meaghan J Jones
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Child and Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, M5G 1Z8, Canada
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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Sweet E, Kuzawa CW, McDade TW. Short-term lending: Payday loans as risk factors for anxiety, inflammation and poor health. SSM Popul Health 2018; 5:114-121. [PMID: 29922711 PMCID: PMC6005810 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
While research now consistently links consumer financial debt with adverse emotional health outcomes, specific forms of debt and their impact on measures of physical health are underexplored. This gap in knowledge is significant because different forms of loans and debt may have different experiential qualities. In this paper, we focus on a type of unsecured debt - short-term/payday loan borrowing – that has risen dramatically in recent decades in the United States and is characterized by predatory, discriminatory, and poorly regulated lending practices. Using data from a study of debt and health among adults in Boston, MA (n=286), we test whether short-term borrowing is associated with a range of emotional and physical health indicators. We find that short-term loans are associated with higher body mass index, waist circumference, C-reactive protein levels, and self-reported symptoms of physical health, sexual health, and anxiety, after controlling for several socio-demographic covariates. We discuss these findings within the contexts of regulatory shortcomings, psychosocial stress, and racial and economic credit disparities. We suggest that within the broader context of financial debt and health, short-term loans should be considered a specific risk to population health. Short-term loans (STL) are associated with multiple indicators of poor health Prior research has explored general debt as a health determinant Specific types of debt, like STL, are understudied STL’s predatory lending practices raise concerns for population health
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Sweet
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Ave., Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 2040 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Ave., Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 2040 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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Del Giudice M, Barrett ES, Belsky J, Hartman S, Martel MM, Sangenstedt S, Kuzawa CW. Individual differences in developmental plasticity: A role for early androgens? Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 90:165-173. [PMID: 29500952 PMCID: PMC5864561 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity is a widespread property of living organisms, but different individuals in the same species can vary greatly in how susceptible they are to environmental influences. In humans, research has sought to link variation in plasticity to physiological traits such as stress reactivity, exposure to prenatal stress-related hormones such as cortisol, and specific genes involved in major neurobiological pathways. However, the determinants of individual differences in plasticity are still poorly understood. Here we present the novel hypothesis that, in both sexes, higher exposure to androgens during prenatal and early postnatal life should lead to increased plasticity in traits that display greater male variability (i.e., a majority of physical and behavioral traits). First, we review evidence of greater phenotypic variation and higher susceptibility to environmental factors in males; we then consider evolutionary models that explain greater male variability and plasticity as a result of sexual selection. These empirical and theoretical strands converge on the hypothesis that androgens may promote developmental plasticity, at least for traits that show greater male variability. We discuss a number of potential mechanisms that may mediate this effect (including upregulation of neural plasticity), and address the question of whether androgen-induced plasticity is likely to be adaptive or maladaptive. We conclude by offering suggestions for future studies in this area, and considering some research designs that could be used to empirically test our hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Del Giudice
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | - Emily S Barrett
- School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jay Belsky
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Sarah Hartman
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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Thayer ZM, Agustin Bechayda S, Kuzawa CW. Circadian cortisol dynamics across reproductive stages and in relation to breastfeeding in the Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2018; 30:e23115. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zaneta M. Thayer
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
| | - Sonny Agustin Bechayda
- USC-Office of Population Studies; University of San Carlos; Cebu City Philippines
- Department of Anthropology, Sociology and History; University of San Carlos; Cebu City Philippines
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology; Northwestern University; Evanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy Research; Northwestern University; Evanston Illinois
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Kuzawa CW. Which environments matter in studies of early life developmental plasticity? Evol Med Public Health 2018; 2017:188-190. [PMID: 29423224 PMCID: PMC5798031 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eox024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Abstract
The Modern Synthesis led to fundamental advances in understandings of human evolution. For human palaeontology, a science that works from ancestral phenotypes (i.e. the fossil record), particularly important have been perspectives used to help understand the heritable aspects of phenotypes and how fossil individuals might then be aggregated into species, and relationships among these groups understood. This focus, coupled with the fragmentary nature of the fossil record, however, means that individual phenotypic variation is often treated as unimportant 'noise', rather than as a source of insight into population adaptation and evolutionary process. The emphasis of the extended evolutionary synthesis on plasticity as a source of phenotypic novelty, and the related question of the role of such variation in long-term evolutionary trends, focuses welcome attention on non-genetic means by which novel phenotypes are generated and in so doing provides alternative approaches to interpreting the fossil record. We review evidence from contemporary human populations regarding some of the aspects of adult phenotypes preserved in the fossil record that might be most responsive to non-genetic drivers, and we consider how these perspectives lead to alternate hypotheses for interpreting the fossil record of early genus Homo. We conclude by arguing that paying closer attention to the causes and consequences of intraspecific phenotypic variation in its own right, as opposed to as noise around a species mean, may inspire a new generation of hypotheses regarding species diversity in the Early Pleistocene and the foundations for dispersal and regional diversification in Homo erectus and its descendants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan C. Antón
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
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Georgiev AV, Ryan CP, Borja JB, Kuzawa CW. Is early postnatal growth velocity, a proxy of minipubertal androgen action, related to adult second‐to‐fourth digit (2D:4D) ratios in men? A test in Cebu, Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2017; 29. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V. Georgiev
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston Illinois60208
- School of Biological SciencesBangor University, Deiniol RoadBangor GwyneddLL57 2UW United Kingdom
| | - Calen P. Ryan
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston Illinois60208
| | - Judith B. Borja
- Office of Population Studies Foundation, Inc. and Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of San CarlosCebu City Philippines
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston Illinois60208
- Institute for Policy ResearchNorthwestern University2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston Illinois60208
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Fried RL, Mayol NL, McDade TW, Kuzawa CW. Maternal metabolic adaptations to pregnancy among young women in Cebu, Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2017; 29. [PMID: 28429514 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2016] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Evidence that fetal development has long-term impacts on health has increased interest in maternal-fetal nutrient exchange. Although maternal metabolism is known to change during gestation to accommodate fetal nutrient demands, little is known about these modifications outside of a Western, clinical context. This study characterizes maternal metabolic adaptations to pregnancy, and their associations with offspring birth weight (BW), among women living in the Philippines. METHODS Fasting glucose, triglycerides, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin were assessed in 808 participants in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (Metropolitan Cebu, Philippines). Cross-sectional relationships between metabolites and hormones and gestational and lactational status were evaluated. Among the subset of currently pregnant women, associations between maternal glucose and triglycerides and offspring BW were also examined. RESULTS Women in their second and third trimesters had significantly lower fasting glucose and adiponectin compared to nulliparous women, and leptin levels and triglyceride levels were notably higher late in pregnancy (all P < .05). Among pregnant women, fasting glucose was a positive predictor of offspring BW, but only in males (P = .012, R2 = .28). Hormones and metabolites in post-partum women trend back toward levels found in nulliparous women, with some differences by breastfeeding status. CONCLUSIONS We find evidence for marked changes in maternal lipid and carbohydrate metabolism during pregnancy, consistent with known adaptations to support fetal growth. The finding of sex-specific relationships between maternal glucose and offspring BW adds to evidence for greater impacts of the maternal-gestational environment on biology and health in male offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruby L Fried
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208
| | - Nanette L Mayol
- USC - Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines
| | - Thom W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208.,Cells 2 Society, The Center for Social Disparities and Health at the Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208.,Cells 2 Society, The Center for Social Disparities and Health at the Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60208
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48
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Georgiev AV, Ryan CP, Gettler LT, McDade TW, Kuzawa CW. Second‐to‐fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is unrelated to measures of somatic reproductive effort among young men from Cebu, the Philippines. Am J Phys Anthropol 2017; 163:437-445. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Calen P. Ryan
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
| | - Lee T. Gettler
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Notre DameNotre Dame Indiana
- The Eck Institute for Global HealthUniversity of Notre DameNotre Dame Indiana
| | - Thomas W. McDade
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy ResearchNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy ResearchNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
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49
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Ryan CP, Georgiev AV, McDade TW, Gettler LT, Eisenberg DTA, Rzhetskaya M, Agustin SS, Hayes MG, Kuzawa CW. Androgen receptor polyglutamine repeat length (AR‐CAGn) modulates the effect of testosterone on androgen‐associated somatic traits in Filipino young adult men. Am J Phys Anthropol 2017; 163:317-327. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Calen P. Ryan
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
| | | | - Thomas W. McDade
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy ResearchNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
| | - Lee T. Gettler
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Notre DameNotre Dame Indiana
- The Eck Institute for Global HealthUniversity of Notre DameNotre Dame Indiana
| | - Dan T. A. Eisenberg
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattle Washington
- Center for Studies in Demography and EcologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattle Washington
| | - Margarita Rzhetskaya
- Division of EndocrinologyMetabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicago Illinois
| | - Sonny S. Agustin
- USC‐Office of Population Studies FoundationUniversity of San CarlosCebu City Philippines
| | - M. Geoffrey Hayes
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
- Division of EndocrinologyMetabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicago Illinois
- Center for Genetic MedicineNorthwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicago Illinois
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy ResearchNorthwestern UniversityEvanston Illinois
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50
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Eisenberg DTA, Borja JB, Hayes MG, Kuzawa CW. Early life infection, but not breastfeeding, predicts adult blood telomere lengths in the Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2017; 29. [PMID: 28121388 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Telomeres are repetitive DNA at chromosomes ends that shorten with age due to cellular replication and oxidative stress. As telomeres shorten, this can eventually place limits on cell replication and contribute to senescence. Infections are common during early development and activate cellular immune responses that involve clonal expansion and oxidative stress. As such, a high infectious disease burden might shorten blood telomere length (BTL) and accelerate the pace of immune senescence. METHODS To test this, BTL measured in young adults (21.7 ± 0.3 years old) from the Philippines (N = 1,759) were linked to prospectively collected early life data on infectious burden. RESULTS As predicted, increased early life diarrheal prevalence was associated with shorter adult BTL. The association was most marked for infections experienced from 6 to 12 months, which corresponds with weaning and maximal diarrheal burden. A standard deviation increase in infections at 6-12 m predicts a 45 bp decrease in BTL, equivalent to 3.3 years of adult telomeric aging in this population. Contrary to expectations, breastfeeding duration was not associated with BTL, nor did effects vary by sex. CONCLUSIONS These findings show that infancy diarrheal disease predicts a marker of cellular aging in adult immune cells. These findings suggest that early life infectious burden may influence late life health, or alternatively, that short TL in early life increases infectious disease susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington.,Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington
| | - Judith B Borja
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.,Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
| | - M Geoffrey Hayes
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.,Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
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