Ecological factors affecting body size of Japanese adolescents

Endo, Akira; Omoe, Katsuhiko; Ishikawa, Hitoshi

doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330910305

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Ecological analysis of nationwide data indicates that the body height of Japanese youth tends to be greater in Northern Japan over the past 100 years or more, suggesting that there exists a geographical gradient in youth height over this period [789]. Although the physique of Japanese youth was very poor at the end of World War II, rapid economic growth and strenuous efforts to improve nutritional status have led to great improvements in the physical development of Japanese youth since 1945.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chronobiological Hypothesis about the Association Between Height Growth Seasonality and Geographical Differences in Body Height According to Effective Day Length

Yokoya

Higuchi

2016

J Circadian Rhythms

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Studies on growth hormone therapy in children have shown that height velocity is greater in summer than in winter and that this difference increases with latitude. It is hypothesized that summer daylight is a causative factor and that geographical distribution of body height will approximate the distribution of summer day length over time. This is an ecological analysis of prefecture-level data on the height of Japanese youth. Mesh climatic data of effective day length were collated. While height velocity was greatest during the summer, the height of Japanese youth was strongly and negatively correlated with the distribution of winter effective day length. Therefore, it is anticipated that summer height velocity is greater according to winter day length (dark period). This may be due to epigenetic modifications, involving reversible DNA methylation and thyroid hormone regulation found in the reproductive system of seasonal breeding vertebrates. If the function is applicable to humans, summer height growth may quantitatively increase with winter day length, and height growth seasonality can be explained by thyroid hormone activities that-induced by DNA methylation-change depending on the seasonal difference in day length. Moreover, geographical differences in body height may be caused by geographical differences in effective day length, which could influence melatonin secretion among subjects who spend a significant time indoors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies have shown the existence of a geographical (latitudinal) gradient in human body height [456789]. A possible explanation for this gradient is the difference in photoperiodic environments [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronobiological Hypothesis about the Association Between Height Growth Seasonality and Geographical Differences in Body Height According to Effective Day Length

Yokoya

Higuchi

2016

J Circadian Rhythms

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“…1, 3 A latitudinal gradient has been shown for height in Japanese children from North to South Japan. This may relate to a difference in day length as this is an important predictor of height in early and late adolescence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…1, 2, 3 This phenomenon is seen in Europe: people from North Europe are taller than people from South Europe. 4, 5 In addition, genetic studies have indicated that the height differences between these closely related populations can be partially explained by multiple minor genetic differences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of summer daylight exposure and genetic background on growth in growth hormone-deficient children

et al. 2015

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The response to growth hormone in humans is dependent on phenotypic, genetic and environmental factors. The present study in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) collected worldwide characterised gene–environment interactions on growth response to recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH). Growth responses in children are linked to latitude, and we found that a correlate of latitude, summer daylight exposure (SDE), was a key environmental factor related to growth response to r-hGH. In turn growth response was determined by an interaction between both SDE and genes known to affect growth response to r-hGH. In addition, analysis of associated networks of gene expression implicated a role for circadian clock pathways and specifically the developmental transcription factor NANOG. This work provides the first observation of gene–environment interactions in children treated with r-hGH.

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“…The results of several ecological analyses of nationwide data indicate that the body height of Japanese youth raised in Northern Japan tends to be greater than that of youth raised in Southern Japan, indicating the existence of a geographical gradient in youth height [1]–[3]. On the basis of his analysis of Japanese adults approximately 20 years of age, who had been born between 1916 and 1927, Kouchi [2] reported a negative geographical correlation between height and average temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical Distribution of Adolescent Body Height with Respect to Effective Day Length in Japan: An Ecological Analysis

Yokoya

Shimizu²,

Higuchi

2012

PLoS ONE

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The height of Japanese youth raised in the northern region tends to be greater than that of youth raised in the southern region; therefore, a geographical gradient in youth body height exists. Although this gradient has existed for about 100 years, the reasons for it remain unclear. Consideration of the nutritional improvement, economic growth, and intense migration that has occurred in this period indicates that it is probably the result of environmental rather than nutritional or genetic factors. To identify possible environmental factors, ecological analysis of prefecture-level data on the body size of 8- to 17-year-old youth averaged over a 13-year period (1996 to 2008) and Japanese mesh climatic data on the climatic variables of temperature, solar radiation, and effective day length (duration of photoperiod exceeding the threshold of light intensity) was performed. The geographical distribution of the standardized height of Japanese adolescents was found to be inversely correlated to a great extent with the distribution of effective day length at a light intensity greater than 4000 lx. The results of multiple regression analysis of effective day length, temperature, and weight (as an index of food intake) indicated that a combination of effective day length and weight was statistically significant as predictors of height in early adolescence; however, only effective day length was statistically significant as a predictor of height in late adolescence. Day length may affect height by affecting the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that inhibits sexual and skeletal maturation, which in turn induces increases in height. By affecting melatonin production, regional differences in the duration of the photoperiod may lead to regional differences in height. Exposure to light intensity greater than 4000 lx appears to be the threshold at which light intensity begins to affect the melatonin secretion of humans who spend much of their time indoors.

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Ecological factors affecting body size of Japanese adolescents

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Chronobiological Hypothesis about the Association Between Height Growth Seasonality and Geographical Differences in Body Height According to Effective Day Length

Chronobiological Hypothesis about the Association Between Height Growth Seasonality and Geographical Differences in Body Height According to Effective Day Length

Effect of summer daylight exposure and genetic background on growth in growth hormone-deficient children

Geographical Distribution of Adolescent Body Height with Respect to Effective Day Length in Japan: An Ecological Analysis

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