Wells, JC;
(2017)
Worldwide variability in growth: incorporating developmental plasticity, body composition and maternal effects.
American Journal of Human Biology
, 28
(2)
, Article e22954. 10.1002/ajhb.22954.
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Abstract
In their seminal book “Worldwide variation in human growth,” published in 1976, Eveleth and Tanner highlighted substantial variability within and between populations in the magnitude and schedule of human growth. In the four decades since then, research has clarified why growth variability is so closely associated with human health. First, growth patterns are strongly associated with body composition, both in the short- and long-term. Poor growth in early life constrains the acquisition of lean tissue, while compensatory “catch-up” growth may elevate body fatness. Second, these data are examples of the fundamental link between growth and developmental plasticity. Growth is highly sensitive to ecological stresses and stimuli during early “critical windows,” but loses much of this sensitivity as it undergoes canalization during early childhood. Crucially, the primary source of stimuli during early “critical windows” is not the external environment itself, but rather maternal phenotype, which transduces the impact of ecological conditions. Maternal phenotype, representing many dimensions of “capital,” thus generates a powerful impact on the developmental trajectory of the offspring. There is increasing evidence that low levels of maternal capital impact the offspring's size at birth, schedule of maturation, and body composition and physiological function in adulthood. While evidence has accrued of substantial heritability in adult height, it is clear that the pathway through which it is attained has major implications for metabolic phenotype. Integrating these perspectives is important for understanding how developmental plasticity may on the one hand contribute to adaptation, while on the other shape susceptibility to non-communicable disease.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Worldwide variability in growth: incorporating developmental plasticity, body composition and maternal effects |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ajhb.22954 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22954 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Wells JCK. Worldwide variability in growth and its association with health: Incorporating body composition, developmental plasticity, and intergenerational effects. Am J Hum Biol. 2016;00:e22954., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22954. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Anthropology, Biology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1496437 |
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