Decrease In Stature Research Articles

Long-term trends in human body size track regional variation in subsistence transitions and growth acceleration linked to dairying

Evidence for a reduction in stature between Mesolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers has been interpreted as reflective of declines in health, however, our current understanding of this trend fails to account for the complexity of cultural and dietary transitions or the possible causes of phenotypic change. The agricultural transition was extended in primary centers of domestication and abrupt in regions characterized by demic diffusion. In regions such as Northern Europe where foreign domesticates were difficult to establish, there is strong evidence for natural selection for lactase persistence in relation to dairying. We employ broad-scale analyses of diachronic variation in stature and body mass in the Levant, Europe, the Nile Valley, South Asia, and China, to test three hypotheses about the timing of subsistence shifts and human body size, that: 1) the adoption of agriculture led to a decrease in stature, 2) there were different trajectories in regions of in situ domestication or cultural diffusion of agriculture; and 3) increases in stature and body mass are observed in regions with evidence for selection for lactase persistence. Our results demonstrate that 1) decreases in stature preceded the origins of agriculture in some regions; 2) the Levant and China, regions of in situ domestication of species and an extended period of mixed foraging and agricultural subsistence, had stable stature and body mass over time; and 3) stature and body mass increases in Central and Northern Europe coincide with the timing of selective sweeps for lactase persistence, providing support for the "Lactase Growth Hypothesis."

Study of diurnal variation of stature among MBBS students in a Medical College of Andhra Pradesh

Diurnal variation in stature is one potentially significant source of error in the evaluation of short term height. Diurnal decrease in stature may affect the reliability of height measurement. The aim of the present study was to establish diurnal variation of stature, and to study the degree of differences in daily height measurement. A total batch of 201 students of 2nd MBBS from our institute was selected for the study. But, on the day of the study, 4 students did not show up because of some medical and personal reasons. Hence, the study was conducted over the remaining 197 students. The heights of the participants were measured twice in a day. The first measurements were taken between 08:00 AM to 09:00 AM, and the second measurements between 04:00 PM to 05:00 PM. The data collected was thoroughly screened and subjected to statistical analysis. Results revealed diurnal variation in height among each individual and also significant difference in diurnal variation of stature between male and female. There is a definite variation i.e., decrease in height of an individual during the course of the day. There is also a gender difference in this variation of height i.e., males show greater height loss compared to females.

Net nutrition, insolation, mortality, and the antebellum paradox

When other measures for material welfare are scarce or unreliable, stature is a well-established measure for cumulative net nutrition. The antebellum paradox is the ironic result that average stature decreased during the nineteenth century’s second and third quarters at the same time that wages and income increased. Nevertheless, because of selection concerns, recent criticisms call into question the antebellum paradox’s authenticity. This study illustrates that the nineteenth century’s observed second and third quarter stature diminution was real, but the antebellum paradox is not the timing of the stature decrease but nutrition and disease conditions. Average statures increased with access to pork and dairy, were lower in virulent disease environments, and had an inverted U-shape in both insolation and population density, indicating that the antebellum paradox was resource variation rather than simply stature variation over time.

Stress, sex, and plague: Patterns of developmental stress and survival in pre- and post-Black Death London.

Previous research revealed declines in survivorship in London before the Black Death (c. 1346-1353), and improvements in survivorship following the epidemic. These trends indicate that there were declines in general levels of health before the Black Death and improvements thereof afterwards. This study expands on previous research by examining whether changes in survivorship were consistent between the sexes, and how patterns of developmental stress markers changed before and after the Black Death. This study uses samples from London cemeteries dated to one of three periods: Early Pre-Black Death (1000-1200 AD, n = 255), Late Pre-Black Death (1200-1250 AD, n = 247), or Post-Black Death (1350-1540 AD n = 329). Temporal trends in survivorship are assessed via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and trends in tibial length (as a proxy for stature) and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) are assessed using t-tests and Chi-square tests, respectively. Survivorship for both sexes decreased before the Black Death and increased afterwards. For males, LEH frequencies increased and stature decreased before the epidemic, and LEH declined and stature increased after the Black Death. For females, the only significant change with respect to developmental stress markers was a decrease in stature after the Black Death. These results might reflect variation between the sexes in sensitivity to stressors, the effects of nutrition on pubertal timing, disproportionate access to dietary resources for males in the aftermath of the Black Death, the disproportionate deaths of frail individuals during the epidemic, or some combination of these factors.

Social reorganization and biological change: An examination of stature variation among Iron Age Samnites from Abruzzo, central Italy

Stature is a sensitive indicator of overall environmental quality experienced during growth and development, and can provide insights on a population’s ‘well-being’. This study investigated changes in estimated adult stature in a large (N=568) sample of Samnite Iron Age (800–27 BCE) people from central Italy, during a period of increasing sociopolitical complexity. Stature was analyzed diachronically, between sexes, and across social strata inferred using the ‘Status Index’ based on funerary treatment. It was expected: 1) a decrease in stature from the Orientalizing-Archaic period (O–A) to the fifth century BC (V SEC) and the following Hellenistic period (ELL), due to population increase and urbanization; 2) social status to positively influence the attainment of the full stature potential; 3) sexual dimorphism to be higher in more stratified groups. Results revealed no significant diachronic changes in stature (females: O–A: 154.2cm,V SEC: 154.2cm, and ELL: 153.6cm; males: O-A: 165.0cm,V SEC: 165.2cm, and ELL: 165.0cm) or sexual dimorphism. High-status males were taller than low-status (p=0.021), possibly due to a better diet, but only in the Orientalizing-Archaic period. Nonsignificant changes in females suggest either differential access to resources in women, or a better buffering from environmental optima or crises. The results of this study highlight the complex interrelation between social factors and human growth, and stress the importance of understanding the specific mechanisms leading to variation in adult stature.

Typhoon Disturbance Mediates Elevational Patterns of Forest Structure, but not Species Diversity, in Humid Monsoon Asia

Understanding factors controlling ecosystem structure and function is key to predicting the effects of climate change on vegetation distribution and carbon sequestration. Cyclones play a large role in structuring ecosystems and cyclone intensity is expected to increase on a warming planet. The effects of cyclones on broad-scale ecosystem patterns could be substantial but are poorly understood. This study assessed forest structure and biodiversity patterns across an elevation gradient (300–3000 m) in mountainous, humid forests of Taiwan, an island experiencing an average of 3–6 typhoons (regional name of cyclones) annually, and contrasted those patterns with a gradient within the Wuyi Mountains of China (500–2100 m), where the climate is similar to Taiwan but typhoon occurrence is rare and effects are generally minimal. In both Taiwan and the Wuyi Mountains, tree species richness and diversity decreased with increasing elevation. Tree size and stature decrease from low to high elevations in the typhoon-protected Wuyi Mountains. In contrast, the biomass and stature of forests in Taiwan increased from low to high elevations. The relationship between forest stature and climate was also contrasting in relation to typhoon disturbance in that we found decreasing tree height and basal area with increasing temperature in Taiwan, but not in the Wuyi Mountains. The more than twofold increase in tree height and biomass with increasing elevations reported here for subtropical humid forests of Taiwan is a unique pattern that highlights the potential role of cyclones in driving elevational patterns of forest structure. Climate change-induced alterations in tropical cyclone regimes may affect elevational patterns of forest structure and carbon sequestration in regions experiencing frequent cyclones.

Stature in 19th and early 20th century Copenhagen. A comparative study based on skeletal remains

Individual stature depends on multifactorial causes and is often used as a proxy for investigating the biological standard of living. While the majority of European studies on 19th and 20th century populations are based on conscript heights, stature derived from skeletal remains are scarce. For the first time in Denmark this study makes a comparison between skeletal stature and contemporary Danish conscript heights and investigates stature of males and females temporally and between socially distinct individuals and populations in 19th and early 20th century Copenhagen.A total of 357 individuals (181 males, 176 females) excavated at the Assistens cemetery in Copenhagen is analyzed. Two stature regression formulae (Trotter, 1970; Boldsen, 1990) are applied using femur measurements and evaluated compared to conscript heights. The results indicate that mean male stature using Boldsen follows a similar trend as the Danish conscript heights and that Trotter overestimate stature by ca. 6cm over Boldsen. At an inter population level statistically significant differences in male stature are observed between first and second half of the 19th century towards a slight stature decrease and larger variation while there are no significant changes observed in female stature. There are insignificant differences in stature between middle and high class individuals, but male stature differs statistically between cemeteries (p=0.000) representing middle/high class, paupers and navy employees, respectively. Female stature had no significant wealth gradient (p=0.516). This study provides new evidence of stature among males and females during the 19th century and suggests that males may have been more sensitive to changes in environmental living and nutrition than females.

Altitude effects on growth of indigenous children in Oaxaca, Southern Mexico

The effect of altitude of residence on the growth status of 11,454 indigenous school children 6-14 years of age in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, was examined. Indicators of living conditions (human development index [HDI], index of community nutritional risk [INR], index of marginalization [IM], index of relative isolation [II]) were regressed on z-scores for height, weight and BMI, and the residuals were regressed on altitude of residence (km). Independent of other environmental conditions, altitude negatively affected height by approximately -0.07 z-scores per kilometer altitude above sea level. The estimated average decrease in stature was 0.92 cm per kilometer elevation. BMI was significantly increased, 1.2 units per kilometer elevation, consistent with earlier studies of growth status and altitude. In contrast, weight was not affected by altitude of residence. Approximately 36% of the reduction in height and 54% of the increase in BMI were due to altitude effects; the remaining changes in height and BMI were associated with environmental factors reflected in the indices of community well-being considered.

Development of a Coherent American Strategy

When times are good, there is a human tendency to take for granted a stable security and a durable peace, with national values intact. But these are not the best of times. The level of concern has risen in our country on precisely these matters--keeping our nation secure, the peace lasting, and our national values whole. Perhaps the events in Iran and Afghanistan triggered this concern, but I believe that our people sense a deeper cause for worry behind those events. I believe that they rightly sense a growing threat to our safety and our well-being. In American newspapers one reads of cracks in the NATO alliance, the cornerstone of strength and security for the West and for all free nations. Moreover, those cracks are products of internal pressures as well as external ones. As the interests of the United States and it allies diverge, so do the cracks spread. And the resulting grave situation cannot be left unattended. In the spring of last year, President Carter characterized the moment as potentially the most dangerous ... since World War There was some skepticism over that statement, but if we reflect on real possibilities, we will see the essential truth of his comment. If the Soviets were to move toward the Persian Gulf and the sources of oil that lie there, I believe that we would have no choice but to oppose them, and the outcome of that opposition and the extent of its possible escalation are hard to predict. If the Soviets were to intervene militarily elsewhere--in Africa or Latin America, for example--and apply the Brezhnev Doctrine to the fruits of that intervention, we could soon be confronted with a similar crisis and the same need for decision. The times have not been good, in part because our influence in the world has lessened in relation to what it was in the first decade or two after World War II. This decrease in stature may be only a temporary aberration, but it has unquestionably brought with it serious stresses and strains, and from it has grown the uneasy feeling that we are failing to define and fulfill the role that we can and should have in the world. We hear many complaints, from within our borders and without, that we lack a clear picture of what we should do and how we should go about it. Our national strategy must be credible, consistent, and rational. Only with such a strategy can we be confident as to what our military force structure should be and when and how we should be prepared to use those forces. With a new administration having just assumed the reins of government, perhaps now is a propitious moment to glance at the security environment we will face in the early years of the 1980s. Four factors compose the key to understanding this environment. The first of these factors is that we face higher levels of risk and danger. This increased danger can be observed, for example, in the fact that our economic lifeline has become so exposed. The flow of oil needed for the industries of the Western democracies to survive and prosper lies vulnerable to outside interference, and both the dependence of the West on that oil and the oil flow's vulnerability to interference are increasing. Furthermore, the Soviets are on the move. They have demonstrated by their action in Afghanistan that they are prepared to accept a higher degree of risk and pose a more activist challenge to the West. They seem to have been seeking military dominance since the mid-1960s, and they have built up their strength to the point that they now move from a powerful military base. In the strategic nuclear field, as in other military areas, their massive research, development, and production efforts have given them a tremendous destructive capability. During the period since World War II, it has been noted that we can discern multiple Soviet thrusts of major proportions. The first, under Stalin, was projected against the Soviet Union's immediate neighbors to the West--creating satellites of the nations of Eastern Europe--and also in Asia against South Korea. …

Is decline in stature related to physical activity? – The Case of farmers in Punjab State of North India

Stature is a quantitative measure of physique and indicative of physical growth and development of an individual. It also provides insight into various features of a population including nutrition, health and genetics. The present hypothesis states that the drastic decrease in physical activity over a long period of time may result in decrease in stature of individuals. A case of farmers in Punjab State of north India has been discussed where following a drastic decrease in physical activity, a decline in stature has been observed.

Diurnal Variation of Stature in Three Adults and One Child

Stature is considered as a reliable measure of physical growth and development and its medico-legal significance is obvious in forensic examinations. The present study reports diurnal variation of stature in three adults and one child. The measurements of stature were recorded four times in a day for 56 days in all the subjects i.e. at 0600 hours, 0800 hours, 1800 hours and at 2200 hours. Significant diurnal variation in stature is observed in all the subjects and stature begins to decrease immediately after rising in the morning. A very rapid decrease in stature occurs within first two hours of the day and further loss continues throughout the day in small amounts. The effect of napping, short term lying down and other postural changes, is discussed. A maximum mean daytime loss of stature up to 2.81 cm is observed. The age and body weight seem to affect the diurnal variation in stature to some extent. The results have important implications regarding current practice in the study of growth, development and nutrition as well as in personal identification.

Diurnal variation of height in children

Diurnal variation of height is largely ignored in the assessment of growth in children. Diurnal decrease in stature may effect the reliability of height measurement. In this study, the degree of differences in daily height measurement were evaluated. A total of 478 children, aged 3-15 years (mean age 9.9 +/- 2.3 years) were enrolled in the study. The height of children were measured twice in a day. The first measurements were taken between 09:00 and 10:00 h and the second measurements between 15:00 and 16:00 h. Children's height measurements differences were +1.8 to -2.7 cm, and a mean of 0.47 +/- 0.05 cm decrease was determined. Little differences of height measurement could be very important in evaluating the short child. When the result of height measurement is recorded, recording the time of day is offered.

Two millennia of male stature development and population health and wealth in the Low Countries

This paper offers a review of shifts in average male stature and their relationship with health and wealth in the Low Countries from AD 50 to 1997. Twenty-one population samples were studied to cover the full time span. To make data compatible, so-called ‘virtual statures’ were used, i.e. the statures which adult males were supposed to have had at the end of their growth period, before they started shrinking by ageing. Original data were extracted from ‘in situ measured statures’, ‘calculated statures’ and ‘corrected cadaveric statures’. If possible, maximum femoral lengths were also collected from the same population samples to check whether trends in stature development were in agreement with raw skeletal data. A long phase of stature decrease from ca. 176 cm to 166 cm, a so-called ‘negative secular trend’, was noticed from the Roman Period up to and including the first half of the 19th century. This was followed by a sharp and still ongoing increase in stature to 184 cm, a typical ‘positive secular trend’, from the second half of the 19th century to the present time. General shifts in stature and ‘outliers’ illustrative for the process are viewed in the context of socio-economic, demographic, health and nutritional factors. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Short and the Dead: Nutrition, Mortality, and the “Antebellum Puzzle” in the United States

Between 1830 and 1860 the United States experienced rapid economic growth but declining stature and rising mortality. Debate has centered on whether the American diet deteriorated in the mid-nineteenth century. Employing census and muster records, this article tests the hypotheses that adult height was positively correlated with local production of nutrients in early childhood and negatively correlated with local mortality conditions, urbanization, proximity to transport, and population mobility. Results indicate that antebellum economic growth was accompanied by an increasing nationalization and internationalization of the disease environment, which affected the health and longevity of the population. The Antebellum Puzzle refers to the apparently contradictory finding that while the era immediately preceding the American Civil War (1861-1865) was one of robust growth in the U.S. economy, adult stature decreased. Shorter stature is generally associated with an inadequate diet during crucial periods of human growth, specifically infancy and early adolescence, though it can also result from disease.1 Previous scholarly work suggests that the decrease in stature in the antebellum United States resulted from deteriorating environmental conditions, but there has been little empirical evidence linking the separate effects of diet and disease.2 This article

Stature estimation from long bone lengths in Bulgarians

The purpose of the present study is to develop a new regression procedure for predicting the stature from the length of the limb long bones taking into account sex- and age-related changes. The statures and lengths of humerus (H), tibia (T) and fibula (Fi) were measured in 416 forensic cases (286 male and 130 female adult Bulgarians). The measurements of the bones and the stature were made on cadavers before autopsy. Stature regression analysis is performed for each of the three bones, as well as for a combination of humerus and tibia. There is a possibility of applying five different procedures with regard of the effect of aging on stature decrease. Resulting models are tested for outliers and heteroskedasticity. Regression parameters, their standard deviations, standard error of the regression. Anova test for model adequacy and the covariance matrix of regression parameters are calculated. The confidence intervals of the error term are determined. Nomograms for a direct application of the results are constructed where it is convenient. The method provides better and more reliable results of stature estimation for the Bulgarian population than other formulae.

Sex differences in brain size, stature and intelligence in children and adolescents: some evidence from Estonia

Abstract Sex differences in brain size and stature decrease from the age of 7 through 13–14 years and increase from the age of 15 through 18 years in Estonia, as they do in the United States. Sex differences in intelligence show a somewhat similar decrease and increase although they do not move precisely in synchrony with the morphological trends. The results are interpreted as suggesting that sex differences in maturation determine the magnitude of sex differences in physical and mental development during childhood and adolescence.

The Circadian Change of Stature for Young Korean Men

Anthropometric data is indispensable for designing consumer products and work spaces for human users. However, there exists variability of anthropometric data between both races and genders. The dimensions and proportions of a human body change as one ages. Some variables even fluctuate in the span of a day such as stature, weight, and foot volume. The circadian change of stature has been overlooked (except space industry) in general application of anthropometric data. This study investigated the circadian change of stature for a homogeneous group, young Korean men (ages 23–25 years old). A statistical analysis showed that the decrease in stature depended on only the elapsed time of a day not on one's weight or stature. An exponential function describing the pattern of the daily change of stature over time was also developed. Finally this paper proposes a better way for collecting the stature data.

Changes in stature following plyometric drop-jump and pendulum exercises

The aim of this study was to compare the changes in stature following the performance of plyometric exercises using drop-jumps and a pendulum swing. Eight male participants aged 21.7 ± 1.8 years with experience of plyometric training gave their informed consent to act as participants. Participants undertook two exercise regimens and a 15-min standing test in a random order. The exercises entailed the performance of 50 drop-jumps from a height of 0.28 m or 50 pendulum rebounds. Participants were instructed to perform maximal jumps or rebounds using a ‘bounce’ style. Measurements of stature were performed after a 20-min period of standing (pre-exercise), 2-min after exercise (post-exercise) and after a 20-min standing recovery (recovery). Back pain and muscle soreness were assessed using an analogue-visual scale, at each of the above times and also 24 and 36 h after the test. Peak torque during isokinetic knee extension at 1.04 rads−1 was measured immediately before and after the exercise bouts, to assess the degree of muscular fatigue. Ground/wall reaction force data were recorded using a Kistler force platform mounted in the floor for drop-jumps and vertically on the rebound wall for pendulum exercises. Drop-jumps resulted in the greatest (p<0.05) change in stature (-2.71±0.8 mm), compared to pendulum exercises (-1.77±0.7 mm) and standing (-0.39±0.2 mm). Both exercise regimens resulted in a significant (p<0.01) decrease in stature when compared to the standing condition. Dropjumps resulted in significantly greater peak impact forces (p<0.05) than pendulum exercises (drop-jumps = 3.2±0.5 × body weight, pendulum = 2.6±0.5×body weight). The two exercise conditions both invoked a small degree of muscle soreness but there were no significant differences between conditions. Both exercise regimens resulted in a non-significant decrease in peak torque indicating a similar degree of muscular fatigue. Based on the lower shrinkage resulted and lower peak forces, it can be concluded that pendulum exercises pose a lower injury potential to the lower back than drop-jumps performed from a height of 28 cm.

Diurnal variation in stature: is stretching the answer?

AIMSTo investigate the extent and timing of diurnal variation in stature and to examine the effectiveness of the stretched technique in reducing the loss in height.SETTINGA Southampton school.DESIGNFifty three children,...

Aging and Body Composition

There is no doubt that body composition changes with aging. Some general trends have been described, including an increase in body weight and fat mass in middle age followed by a decrease in stature, weight, FFM, and body cell mass at older ages. Losses in muscle, protein, and bone mineral contribute to the decline in FFM; however, the onset and rates of decline remain controversial. Most data are available for men and women < 80 yr and we know relatively little about the normal status and the changes that occur in body composition in elderly men and women. This situation has developed in part because the changes that occur in various body constituents with aging confound the estimation of body composition by traditional techniques. Hence, there is a need for longitudinal reference data in persons 80 yr of age, both to describe the normal status and to develop valid prediction equations for estimating body composition in older men and women in settings outside the laboratory. This should be possible using new technologies and approaches based on multiple component models of body composition. An understanding of the normal changes in body composition with increasing age, the normal variation in these changes, and their health implications is important for the health, nutritional support, and pharmacologic treatment of elderly men and women in the United States. The information is especially important because elderly men and women, in terms of both numbers and health care dollars, represent the most rapidly expanding segment of the U.S. population.