Effects of a mixed‐subsistence diet on the growth of Hadza children

Abstract

Introduction: We investigated the preliminary effects of dietary changes on the anthropometric measurements of child and adolescent Hadza foragers. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional study comparing height and weight of participants (aged 0‐17 years) at two time points, 2005 (n = 195) and 2017 (n = 52), from two locations: semi‐nomadic “bush camps” and sedentary “village camps”. World Health Organization (WHO) calculators were used to generate standardized z‐scores for weight‐for‐height (WHZ), weight‐for‐age (WAZ), height‐for‐age (HAZ), and BMI‐for‐age (BMIFAZ). Cross tabulations were constructed for each measurement variable as a function of z‐score categories and the variables year, location, and sex. Results: Residency in a village, and associated mixed‐subsistence diet, was associated with favorable growth, including greater WAZ (P < .001), HAZ (P < .001), and BMIFAZ (P = .004), but not WHZ (P = .717). Regardless of residency location, participants showed an improved WAZ (P = .021) and HAZ (P < .001) in the 2017 study year. We found no sex differences. Discussion and Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that a mixed‐subsistence diet may confer advantages over an exclusive wild food diet, a trend also reported among other transitioning foragers.

Partner choice in human evolution: The role of cooperation, foraging ability, and culture in Hadza campmate preferences

“…Thus, while it is possible that differences in methods account for the discrepant findings from the data collected nearly a decade ago, it is also plausible that they reflect the changing nature of Hadza psychology. Facilitated in part by development of paved roads throughout the region, the last decade has seen a steady rise in the number of tourists, missionaries, and aid workers visiting the Hadza, including visits to camps once considered "remote" (Apicella, 2018;Apicella et al, 2014;Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020;. Aid workers and missionaries distribute food and supplies during their visits, and money is given as remuneration for tourist visits (Apicella, 2018).…”

“…There are approximately 1000 people who identify as Hadza, but much fewer Hadza still maintain a hunter-gatherer lifestyle (Marlowe, 2010). While Hadza are becoming more reliant on domesticated foods (Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020;, our research focuses on the subset of Hadza still predominantly subsisting by hunting and gathering. However, even among Hadza who are characterized as full-time foragers, there is increasing access to cultivated fooda dietary shift associated with changes in health (Crittenden et al, 2017;Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020) and foraging behavior .…”

“…While Hadza are becoming more reliant on domesticated foods (Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020;, our research focuses on the subset of Hadza still predominantly subsisting by hunting and gathering. However, even among Hadza who are characterized as full-time foragers, there is increasing access to cultivated fooda dietary shift associated with changes in health (Crittenden et al, 2017;Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020) and foraging behavior . Also, the number of aid workers, missionaries, and ethnotourists visiting Hadza continue to rise each year (Apicella, 2018;Apicella et al, 2014;Marlowe, 2010;Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020;.…”

“…However, even among Hadza who are characterized as full-time foragers, there is increasing access to cultivated fooda dietary shift associated with changes in health (Crittenden et al, 2017;Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020) and foraging behavior . Also, the number of aid workers, missionaries, and ethnotourists visiting Hadza continue to rise each year (Apicella, 2018;Apicella et al, 2014;Marlowe, 2010;Pollom, Cross, et al, 2020;. Strikingly, the data we present here suggest that this is a population in transition (see Table 1).…”

Sex differences in adipose development in a hunter‐gatherer population

“…Obesity is on the rise across the globe (Chu et al, 2018; Dai et al, 2020) with significant consequences for health, cardiovascular disease (Buscot et al, 2018; Foy et al, 2018), cancer (Moghaddam et al, 2007; Saitta et al, 2019) and most recently COVID‐19 (Cornejo‐Pareja et al, 2020; Lockhart & O'Rahilly, 2020). Given its wide‐spread impact on health consequences, adiposity, an essential component of obesity, has drawn attention across the medical and social sciences, including among biological and evolutionary anthropologists studying growth and development in small‐scale societies (Blackwell et al, 2010; Cameron et al, 1994; Draper & Howell, 2005; Helfrecht et al, 2018; Kramer et al, 2016; McDade et al, 2008; Pollom et al, 2020; Sellen, 1999; Urlacher et al, 2016; Urlacher et al, 2018; Urlacher & Kramer, 2018).…”