Differences In Physique Research Articles

Relationship of serum leptin with age, body weight, body mass index, and bone mineral density in healthy mainland Chinese women

Background Serum leptin concentration is associated with age, fat and bone mineral density (BMD), and there are ethnic differences in physique and BMD values. The relationship between serum leptin concentration and BMD in Chinese women is presently unknown. We examined the relationship of serum leptin concentration with age, body weight, BMI and BMD in mainland Chinese women. Methods Serum leptin concentration in a population of 676 Chinese females, aged 20–80 years (45.4±14.8 years, mean±S.D.), was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). BMD values were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at a number of sites: the posteroanterior lumbar spine (PA, L1–L4), lateral lumbar spine (Lat, L2–L4), hip (including the femoral neck (FN) and total hip (T-hip)), and forearm (one-third region (RU1/3) and total region (RUT)). The relationship between changes in serum leptin concentration with age, body weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and BMD values at six sites were analyzed using 10 different regression models, and the models giving the best fit were selected. Results The cubic regression model best described the changes in serum leptin concentration with age ( R 2=0.048, p<0.001) and body weight ( R 2=0.352, p<0.001), while the quadratic regression model was best for serum leptin concentration changes with BMI ( R 2=0.410, p<0.001); serum leptin concentration was not correlated with height. Serum leptin concentration was significantly higher in postmenopausal than premenopausal women ( p<0.001). Serum leptin concentration was correlated with Lat BMD ( R 2=0.012, p<0.018), FN BMD ( R 2=0.006, p<0.041) and T-hip BMD ( R 2=0.013, p<0.004) in the whole population. In premenopausal women, leptin was positively associated with BMD except for Lat ( R 2=0.029–0.055, p<0.008); in postmenopausal women, leptin was also positively associated with AP, FN, T-hip BMD ( R 2=0.026–0.042, p<0.007). However, after adjusting for BMI not for body weight, there was no association between serum leptin concentration and age. Meanwhile, after adjustment for age, body weight and BMI, there was no association between serum leptin concentration and BMD values in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Conclusions Age-related changes in serum leptin concentration is dependent on BMI, but not a direct determinant of BMD in Chinese females.

Age differences in physique of adult males aged 30 to 86 years in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands

In the Pacific Region, some adult populations have shown a steady rise in overweight and obesity across the 1970s and into the 1990s. While younger adults have been shown to have lower body mass index (BMI) than older ones in both the least and most modernised Samoan populations, among intermediately modernised Samoan populations, BMI has been found to be higher in younger adults than in older ones. A survey in the Cook Islands carried out in 1966 showed no age group differences in height, weight and BMI among adult males, but significantly higher mean weight and BMI among adult males aged 30 years and above. The present analysis gives mean height, weight, BMI and skinfolds of adult males above 30 years of age on Rarotonga in 1996, and examines whether the BMI – age group relationship now shows a similar transitional pattern to that observed on American Samoa. In addition, the 1996 values are compared with values obtained in 1986, to determine whether changes in physique have taken place across this time. In the 1996 volunteer sample of 142 male Cook Islanders, older adults are significantly shorter, lighter, with lower BMI than younger adults. Furthermore, the younger adults of the 1996 survey are significantly heavier, with greater BMI than the 1986 sample. This suggests that the adult male Rarotongan population is in an intermediate position with respect to lifestyle transition, the secular trend in body size and increasing prevalence of obesity, and that there has been a rapid increase in body fatness prevalence among younger adults.

Differences in health characteristics between native Japanese and Japanese-Americans.

Health characteristics were compared among 1193 Japanese in Hiroshima, and 2306 Japanese-Americans in Hawaii. Japanese women experienced later menarche, earlier menopause, and a shorter interval between menarche and menopause than Japanese-Americans. Japanese men and women were shorter and lighter and the men bad lower body mass index than Japanese-Americans. Differences between populations were also found for the prevalence of artificial menopause, number of live births, lactation period, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Within one or both populations, significant trends with birth year were found for age at menarche, age at menopause, interval between menarche and menopause, lactation period, height, weight, and body mass index, suggesting the existence of cohort effects. Some of these trends may also reflect age-related changes. Environmental factors likely contribute to the differences in physique and reproductive factors, which may explain differences in frequency of osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer between the two populations.

Changes in physique and obesity of school children in an elementary school observed from the Meiji era to the Showa era

Data on height and weight were collected at an elementary school in Fukui Prefecture from 1889 through 1934 (observation period). During the observation period, the school area, consisting of a mountainous region and a plain region, was not changed. Using these data, analysis showed that there were: (1) differences in physique between children from the mountainous region and those from the plain region, which was suggested by the school teachers during the observation period, (2) chronological changes in physique, (3) chronological changes in the features of the height velocity curve in the analysis when school children at the same school born in the 1980s were used as a control, (4) chronological changes in the balance of weight to height and (5) changes in the prevalence of obesity. The results were as follows: (1) during the observation period, the physiques of children in the mountainous region were consistently inferior to those in the plain region, (2) during the period, the average physique of the school children aged 12 was consistently inferior to the overall average for Japanese pupils of the same age, (3) during the observation period, the onset of the adolescent growth spurt was later by one year compared with that of current controls, (4) the ratio of weight to height stratified by 3cm intervals during the observation period was almost the same as that in current controls, (5) during the observation period, the prevalence of obesity in boys (6%) was lower than that in current controls (10%). However, the obesity prevalence in girls during the period was higher than that in the controls. However, this findings might be associated with wearing kimono during measurement. By contrast, these differences have recently disappeared. These results suggest that there were consistent differences in physique that persisted between regions in the school area and in Japan as a whole across several eras.

Hypothesis: age-associated changes in gait represent, in part, a tendency towards parkinsonism.

In 144 healthy, active, asymptomatic volunteers (aged 30-88 years), age explained 33% of the variance in free walking speed. This could not be ascribed simply to differences in physique at maturity, since height had a more important effect on speed (p less than 0.0001) than did leg length (p less than 0.01). Multiple linear regression was used to fit models for speed, by selection from four sets of variables: common physical, body sway, functional anatomy of spine and lower limbs, and psychometric. The best model (which included age) explained little more of the variance (41%) than did age alone. Moreover, incorporation of age into the alternative model, built in its absence, still contributed significantly (p less than 0.0001) to the variance explained. The effect of age on gait appeared to be complex, with an increment in double support time disproportionate to the reduction in speed. We formulate by exclusion, the hypothesis that age-associated changes in gait represent, in part, a tendency towards parkinsonism.

Absrobed Dose Estimates in Positron Emission Tomography Studies Based on the Administration of 18F-Labeled Radiopharmaceuticals.

Absorbed doses were estimated after intravenous administration of 18F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies. These radiopharmaceuticals, [18F]-2-Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (FDG), 6-[18F]Fluoro-L-Dopa (FDOPA) and 18F-5-Fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUR), are used in clinical research at the Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center of Tohoku University. Radiopharmaceutical biokinetic values were measured in humans or extrapolated from animal experiments. Selective organ uptake and rapid clearance of activity from the blood were observed. High activity in the bladder contents of humans was found. Calculations were made by the MIRD method, modified to account for the differences in physique and organ mass between the Caucasian Reference Man and the Japanese one. The bladder wall receives the highest dose (more than 1.23 x 10(-1) mGy/MBq) when any of these compounds are administered. Other organs receiving high doses are the heart, brain and kidneys from FDG; the kidneys and pancreas from FDOPA, and the kidneys and small intestine from FdUR. These organs received absorbed doses of more than 2.7 x 10(-2) mGy/MBq. Effective dose equivalents of 2.4 x 10(-2), 2.6 x 10(-2) and 3.3 x 10(-2) mSv/MBq were estimated in the intravenous administration of 18F-FDG, 18F-FDOPA and 18F-FdUR, respectively.

Nontrivial sex differences in throwing and intercepting: Relation to psychometrically-defined spatial functions

Biological sex is a marked individual difference, yet sex differences obtained on cognitive tests are often slight. In general, males excel on psychometric tests of spatial ability, whereas females enjoy an advantage on tests of verbal and fine motor ability. In a previous study on hand preferences, substantial sex differences favouring males were found on two target-directed motor tasks: dart-throwing and projectile interception. This advantage was not readily attributable to sex differences in physique or athletic experience. Such tasks may employ a more fundamental form of spatial ability, relating to real world target analysis. In the present study, these sex differences were examined along with established measures of spatial function, and a novel visualization test (Viewfinding Test). In contrast to the large sex differences found for the motor tasks, only weak trends were found on the paper-and-pencil spatial tests. Males were significantly better on the Viewfinding Test, however. The paper-and-pencil tasks and the Viewfinding Task generally intercorrelated amongst themselves, but were uncorrelated with accuracy on the target-directed motor tasks. Thus, target-directed motor tasks may employ a type of spatial function that is somewhat separable from traditionally-measured spatial abilities. The importance of human ethology for the study of sex differences is discussed.

Right-hand superiority for throwing but not for intercepting

In humans, the organization of movements performed by both upper limbs relies significantly on a left hemisphere “praxis” system that also subsumes speech function. Right hand preference may also be an expression of this left hemisphere dependence, arising from the preferential connections of the right hand to the left hemisphere. Consequently, a manual task that maximizes the spatial complexity of a target (presumably engaging right hemisphere mechanisms), while concurrently minimizing motor-programming demands, was expected to yield a diminished disparity in preference and performance between the hands. Left and right hand accuracy were measured independently for two motor tasks in 48 normal right-handed university students. In the first task, darts were thrown overhand at a stationary target. For the second task, subjects were asked to use the open hand to block (but not catch) projectiles launched at varying trajectories and velocities. ANOVA yielded a significant Hand x Task interaction, in which the left hand did not differ from the right hand in intercepting ability, but was significantly less accurate than the right hand for throwing. A sex difference favouring males was found for both tasks; this difference was not reducible to differences in physique or athleticism.

Discriminant analysis of the physiques of schoolboy rugby players, hurlers and non-team members.

The subjects were 31 successful schoolboy rugby players and 25 successful schoolboy hurlers; 34 non-team members acted as controls. Thirty-one anthropometric measurements were taken on each subject: height, weight, sitting height, five skeletal lengths, six skeletal diameters, 13 muscle circumferences and four skinfolds. The non-players were significantly smaller than both the rugby players and the hurlers in weight, biacromial diameter, bideltoid, neck, chest, flexed arm, upper and lower thigh and calf circumferences. The non-players were significantly smaller than the rugby players in arm length, femur diameter and waist, hip and relaxed arm circumferences. The non-players were significantly smaller than the hurlers in femur length, biiliac and ankle diameters. There were no statistically significant differences between the rugby players and hurlers. Discriminant analysis produced a function containing terms for height, weight, fat free weight, humerus diameter and neck, bideltoid, forearm and calf circumferences which correctly assigned 83 (92%) of the subjects to 'player' and 'non-player' categories. When the function was applied to the 15 members of the rugby team of a different school, 14 were placed in the 'player' category and one subject was given a borderline classification. It is concluded that there were differences in physique between the team members and non-members and that the techniques used in the study were effective in quantifying them.

Standard score assessment on physique and performance of Brazilian athletes in a six tiered competitive sports model.

The use of large cross-sectional norms on Brazilian children and youths aged 7 to 18 years within a six level competition plan helps to assess development status and monitor change. Non-athletic prototypes for comparative purposes are illustrated by the use of the lowest competitive level of 18 year olds to assess differences from internationally elite players. The purpose of this study was to establish the efficacy of this practice in male and female basketball and volleyball samples. Comparisons were made on 11 anthropometric and performance variables using percent difference (% delta) and z-score values. The z-scores were highest for height, weight, and jumping ability in both sports groups. The volleyball players were the more linear in physique and the better jumpers. Related to their prototypes the female basketball players had the highest estimated VO2 max (ml kg-1 min-1), and the best values of anaerobic power measures. It is concluded that differences in physique and performance at various levels of competition compared to non-athletic prototypes may be used to infer selective and training factors.

亜熱帯および温帯生育者の耐寒性に関する研究

This experiment with the intention of investigating differences in cold resistance between those who grew in the subtropical zone and are now living in the temperate zone and those who grew in the temperate zone has been performed in Nagasaki for 4 years; twice (summer and winter) a year. All the subjects were young males: 13 subjects who grew in the temperate zone of Japan (Group M), 11 who grew in Okinawa (Group 0) and 17 who grew in Taiwan (Group T); some subjects of Group 0 and T are those who have lived in the temperate zone of Japan for 6 years. Physical measurement was made on these subjects and then these subjects, in clothes of 1, 8 do, were exposed to cold air for 60 min under the following conditions: room temperature of 10°C, relative humidity of 70 - 80% and wind velocity of 0.5/sec. Skin temperature was continuously measured for 60 min along the exposure to cold air through thermistors attached on 9 spots on the skin, The Douglassbag method was employed for the metabolic measurement; the measurement was made 2 times along the exposure to cold air: 0 min and 60 min from the beginning. Blood samples were also taken both at the beginning and the end of the exposure; measurement was made on haematocrit and free fatty acid (FFA). The following are differences in physique and in response to the exposure to cold air among these three groups. Physique: subjects of Gfoup T were taller and weighed lighter than those of the other groups but had the thickest subcutaneous fat; these results are opposite to the current leading theory that those who have grown in the tropical zone have less subcutaneous fat.Cold resistance: Group M> Group O> Group T; this is the result calculated from the comparative data of distribution on the correlation diagram, that is ?φT: ?φM (decrease in mean skin temperature: metabolic increase), which was designed by the author. With this method, a comparison of cold resistance was made, for each Groups O and T, between those who have long lived in the temperate zone and those who have just come from the subtropical zone: no significant differences were observed for each group. These three groups had differences in correlation between increases in FFA and decreases in RQ, which indicate increases in the fat-combustion quotient: positive corelation was observed for Group O and no correlation for Group M; as for Group T, positive correlation was observed for Group O and no correlation for Group M; as for Group T, positive correlation was observed only for data in winter. The hemoconcentration was calculated through changes in haematocrit as follows:Group T> Group O > Group M.

Posture and anthropometric variables in Irish males: variations with social group and rural-urban environment.

In a group of 254 Irish males aged 17 to 20 years the anthropometric variables height, weight, bulk index, percentage of fat, fat free weight were measured and the following aspects of posture assessed: kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis, abducted scapulae, ankle posture, foot eversion, foot flatness. Social group was determined according to father's occupation and certain other social information was collected. There were social group differences in height, weight, percentage fat and fat free weight. Subjects of social group V were small and light and had a lower fat free weight than the other groups, while those of Group I tended to be tall and heavy. Farmers' sons tended to be relatively tall but with little body fat. There were also urban-rural differences in physique. There were significant social-group differences in lordosis, scoliosis, abducted scapulae, foot posture and overall posture, and urban-rural differences in lordosis, abducted scapulae, foot flatness and overall posture. There was no evidence that posture was influenced by the measures of phsique used in this study, and the individual components of posture were independent of one another. Posture was not influenced by whether or not the subject's school employed a qualified physical education teacher.

Differences in physique in men called ‘Smith’ or ‘Tailor’ considered as results of a genetic effect dating back over several centuries

Differences in answers on a questionnaire regarding weight, ‘solidity’, putative suitability for sports involving strength as opposed to agility, occupations calling for strenght or agility respectively, and personal preferences of hobbies demanding strength or agility were ascertained between 110 male bearers of the name Smith and the same number of bearers of the name Tailor. Observed differences were related to a hypothesis involving genetic effects going back over centuries and depending on bodily characteristics related to the professions of smith and tailor respectively. The size of the observed differences is such as to suggest assortative mating with respect to the traits involved, as well as the isolation of special breeding populations.

Malnutrition and reasoning ability in Zambian schoolchildren

215 Zambian schoolchildren were examined, of whom 72 had suffered such a decline in their nutrition that they had been admitted to hospital for malnutrition at the age of 2 years or under. Comparison with the other 143 showed significant differences in physique and reasoning ability at a later date. It is suggested that nutritional deficiencies may have contributed to these, and may be historically conditioned, although no proof exists, and parental inadequacy may be responsible.

Personality differences within families: comparison of adult brothers and sisters

Summary313 pairs of brothers and 296 pairs of sisters were compared by one or both parents in a postal questionnaire. For 495 pairs independent questionnaires were completed by father and mother, and agreement between parents was good.There was a marked tendency for the first-born child to be rated as less fond of cuddling; he was also easier to train, worked harder at school, set himself higher standards, and was more serious, methodical, law-abiding, tidy and less impulsive; he learned to talk and read at a younger age and was rated as having more natural ability at schoolwork. These three groups of first-born attributes were relatively independent; for instance, even the first-born with less ability at schoolwork were given more responsibility at school. In the 152 pairs which did not contain a first-born, little birth order effect could be found, whether or not the elder was the eldest of his or her sex.There was a slight tendency for the broader, fatter and more muscular child to be less nervous and highly strung, but otherwise differences in physique were not related to differences in behaviour. Abilities at schoolwork, games, music and painting were not related. Tendency to anxiety and depression was related to lack of sociability; to stubbornness and lack of practicality; to angryness but not the bottling up of anger; to level of aspiration but not the possession of abilities or good looks. These relations of anxiety and depression in a normal sample closely parallel the items which distinguish psychiatric patients from their healthy siblings.

TOBACCO SMOKING AND BLOOD GROUP.

It is surprising that practically no work has been done on smoking and the blood groups. One might have expected that the demonstration of similarities between the smoking habits of identical twins (Fisher, 1957 ; Friberg, Kaij, Dencker, and Jonsson, 1959) and of differences in physique (Diehl, 1929; Parnell, 1951), temperament (Heath, 1958; Lilienfeld, 1959 ; Eysenck, Tarrant, Woolf, and England, 1960), and liability to accidents (Lowe, 1960) between smokers and non-smokers would release a spate of papers on this topic ; but this has not been so. Cohen and Thomas (1962), however, have shown differ ences in blood-group frequency associated with smoking. In a study of 1,005 white male blood-donors these workers found a significant excess of blood group B in non-smokers and occasional smokers when pooled and a corresponding deficiency of group B among heavy smokers of cigarettes. They also found a higher proportion of rhesus-negative persons (29.4%) among the small number of occasional smokers. In view of the low level of significance in this study confirmation of the association is clearly desirable. The purpose of this paper is to record our findings in a random sample of miners and ex-miners studied in 1961. The sample consisted of 1,250 miners and ex-miners aged 35-64 living in the Rhondda Fach, a mining valley in South Wales. The procedure adopted for sampling from the community and the methods used have been described elsewhere (Higgins, Oldham, Kilpatrick, Drummond, and Bevan, 1963). Briefly there were 500 men in each of the two decennial groups 35-^+4 and 55-64 and 250 men in the 45-54 group. The response rate is shown in Table I.

Morphologic constitution and smoking.

A study of 922 college men was made relating their morphological characteristics as students to their subsequent histories of smoking 13 yr after graduation, in order to ascertain the extent to which the different classes of nonsmokers, cigarette smokers, pipe smokers, and cigar smokers were phenotypically and genotypically conditioned. Significant differences in physique were found between smokers and nonsmokers and in accordance with the form of smoking adopted. Smokers were consistently greater than nonsmokers in height and weight and in the dimensions of the head, face, shoulders, chest, hip, leg, and hand. The findings delineate constitutional differences between smokers and nonsmokers and among the several varieties of smokers. Smoking behavior thus appears to be in part a reflection of the biological or genetic make-up of the individual.

Morphologic constitution and smoking.

A study of 922 college men was made relating their morphological characteristics as students to their subsequent histories of smoking 13 yr after graduation, in order to ascertain the extent to which the different classes of nonsmokers, cigarette smokers, pipe smokers, and cigar smokers were phenotypically and genotypically conditioned. Significant differences in physique were found between smokers and nonsmokers and in accordance with the form of smoking adopted. Smokers were consistently greater than nonsmokers in height and weight and in the dimensions of the head, face, shoulders, chest, hip, leg, and hand. The findings delineate constitutional differences between smokers and nonsmokers and among the several varieties of smokers. Smoking behavior thus appears to be in part a reflection of the biological or genetic make-up of the individual.

The Stature and Weight of Men from England and Wales in 1941

Variation in stature and weight from one region of Britain to another is generally taken for granted: the short Welshman, the burly Scot, and the tall Southerner are accepted national types. But until recent years, there has been little scientific evidence to confirm the reality of such differences in physique, for in the 20th century no extensive anthropometric survey was undertaken to collect the necessary information about the whole population until the second world war. The nearest approach to such a study was the work of the Industrial Health Re search Board between 1929 and 1932 (Cathcart, Hughes, and Chalmers, 1935), but this was mainly concerned with the principal industrial areas of England and Scotland. Between 1939 and 1945, however, a substantial proportion of the population was measured in the course of medical examinations before National Service and of surveys made to assess the adequacy of the diet in the civilian population in war-time conditions. The data so obtained have already formed the basis of a number of reports, including the results of a survey of young adult males measured in 1939 (Martin, 1949), a survey of civilians measured in 1943 (Kemsley, 1950), and a survey of Royal Air Force personnel (Morant, 1949-50). The present study presents an analysis of the stature and weight of men from England and Wales measured in 1941 by medical boards of the Ministry of Labour and National Service before call up for the services. It shows, in conjunction with the previously published reports relating to Scotsmen measured at the same time (Clements and Pickett, 1952, 1954), the extent of regional variation in recent years. The relationship of these measurements to each other, and to age and socio-economic status, also ex ends the study of Scotsmen to the whole ountry.

Some observations on the heights and weights of undergraduates, with special reference to the University of Wales.

It is standard practice, no matter what other anthropometric measurements may be taken, to record height and weight at routine medical examina tions. There are a number of reasons for so doing. Height related to weight, or to some function of weight, at a given age may be used as an index of body build and physical constitution; gross deviation from standard norms may raise the suspicion of disease or nutritional deficiency; and periodic observations on the same individual afford a stan dard for assessing physical fitness and in some instances may be an aid to diagnosis. Considerations of individual health apart, however, perhaps the most interesting information is to be found in measurements derived from groups. Such measure ments have, for example, been widely used as an index of health and development among children, and in a number of studies group differences in stature have been related to socio-economic back ground (Friend and Bransby, 1947; Bransby and others, 1946; Yudkin, 1944). Relationships between the stature of parents and their children have been studied by Pearson and Lee (1903), by Bowles (1932), and more recently by Durnin and Weir (1952). Still other investigations have demonstrated differences in stature between ethnic groups. Finally, a matter of some interest in the present context, a small but definite correlation has been established between stature and intelligence, and Parnell (1952) has drawn attention to relationships between various somatotypes and the academic performances of undergraduates at Oxford University. Students form a convenient and relatively accessible group for anthropometric surveys and are often used as standards of comparison. The last survey carried out among students generally was that of Cathcart, Hughes, and Chalmers (1935). More recently, published information has been derived chiefly from Oxford and Cambridge, and is by no means necessarily representative of the student population of this country as a whole. Indeed, differences in group measurements between one university and another would not be unexpected. The distribution of students by socio-economic status is unlikely to be the same at the older univer siti s as it is at provincial universities, and there may be differences among the provincial universities themselves in this regard. Moreover, Martin (1949) demonstrated differences in stature between young men from different regions of the country and these differences may be reflected in university groups, since provincial universities tend to draw their students predominantly from the local population. Considerable changes in the size and composition of the undergraduate population of Great Britain have taken place in recent years. Jt would be of interest to establish information which could con fidently be regarded as representative of the under graduate population of the United Kingdom, and the observations which follow are presented as a contribution from the University of Wales. There are, in addition, points of particular interest in a study of a predominantly Welsh population. There is, for example, the possibility that ethnic factors might determine differences between Welsh students and o hers. Differences in physique between groups distinguished on socio-economic criteria, might, moreover, be accentuated in Wales as a result of adverse environmental experiences during the trade dep ession of the 1930s?a time when present-day students were passing through infancy or early childhood. On the other hand, during the recent w r and in the post-war years, improved nutritional opportunities may have modified the consequences of earlier environmental stresses. Factors such as these have to be borne in mind and give added point to anthropometric studies at the present time. 60