What Was Human Birth Weight in the Past? Simulations Based on Data on Stature from the Palaeolithic to the Present

Wells, Jck

doi:10.1080/09751270.2009.11885142

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…From an evolutionary perspective, others have suggested that high rates of obstetric mortality favor larger female size, detected as a lower level of sexual dimorphism in adult height ( 42 ). However, India has experienced an unusually large secular decline in height in the last 10,000 years ( 43 ), and this is likely to contribute to low average birth weights in the contemporary population ( 44 ). Analyzing the offspring of inter-ethnic unions within the UK, we found that both Indian paternity and maternity are associated with lower offspring birth weight, compared to European parentage, indicating a degree of genetic adaptation of fetal growth within Indians to small maternal body size ( 45 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dual Burden of Malnutrition Increases the Risk of Cesarean Delivery: Evidence From India

Wells

Wibaek

Poullas

2018

Front. Public Health

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Background: Among contemporary human populations, rates of cesarean delivery vary substantially, making it difficult to know if the procedure is inadequately available, or used excessively relative to medical need. A much-cited evolutionary hypothesis attributed birth complications to an “obstetric dilemma,” resulting from antagonistic selective pressures acting on maternal pelvic dimensions and fetal brain growth during hominin evolution. However, the childbirth challenges experienced by living humans may not be representative of those in the past, and may vary in association with trends in ecological conditions. We hypothesized that variability in maternal phenotype (height and nutritional status) may contribute to the risk of cesarean delivery. In many populations, high levels of child stunting contribute to a high frequency of short adult stature, while obesity is also becoming more common. The combination of short maternal stature and maternal overweight or obesity may substantially increase the risk of cesarean delivery.Methods: Using data from two large Indian health surveys from 2005–6 to 2015–2016, we tested associations of maternal somatic phenotype (short stature, overweight) with the risk of cesarean delivery, adjusting for confounding factors such as maternal age, birth order, rural/urban location, wealth and offspring sex.Results: Secular trends in maternal body mass index between surveys were greater than trends in height. Maternal short stature and overweight both increased the risk of cesarean delivery, most strongly when jointly present within individual women. These associations were independent of birth order, wealth, maternal age and rural/urban location. Secular trends in maternal phenotype explained 18% of the increase in cesarean rate over 10 years.Conclusion: Our results highlight how the emerging dual burden of malnutrition (persisting short adult stature which reflects persistent child stunting; increasing overweight in adults) is likely to impact childbirth in low and middle-income countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dual Burden of Malnutrition Increases the Risk of Cesarean Delivery: Evidence From India

Wells

Wibaek

Poullas

2018

Front. Public Health

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“…Differences in average MH and infant BW across these populations may be explained by differences in maternal and fetal genetic characteristics, reproductive traits such as age at first reproduction, parity, and inter‐birth interval, the quality of environmental conditions experienced during pregnancy, and variations in population‐specific maternal nutritional histories. It has been also proposed that it can take several generations for increases in MH to drive increasing BW in infants (Wells, ). In the case of Yucatecan women, it is also possible that their high levels of adiposity acquired before pregnancy are contributing to the current mean values of infant BW.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of maternal height on offspring's birth weight in Merida, Mexico

Azcorra

Méndez-Domínguez

2018

American J Hum Biol

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Objectives: To analyze the influence of maternal height (MH) on offspring's birth weight (BW) in infants born from January 2016 to May 2017, in Merida, Mexico. Methods: A total of 3462 singletons born at term in a public hospital were analyzed. Data extracted from hospital records were MH; number of previous births; and infant's sex, BW, and gestational length. MH was divided into 4 categories at quartile points: Q1:129-147, Q2:148-151, Q3:152-155, and Q4:156-180 cm. BW data were transformed to z-score values using the WHO Child Growth Standard. The association between MH and infants' BW was analyzed through a multiple regression model in which gestational length, infant's sex, maternal age, ethnicity, and number of previous birth were included as covariates. Results: Mean values of MH and infants' BW were 151.43 cm (SD = 6.32) and 3172 g (SD = 401) (corresponding to −0.29 SD in BW z-score), respectively. The regression model showed that the shortest quartile of MH was associated with −0.43 (95% CI −0.35 −0.51) SD in infants' BW compared with the highest quartile. The second and third shortest quartiles of MH were associated with −0.24 (95% CI −0.16 −0.32) and −0.17 (95% CI −0.09 −0.25) SD of infants BW, respectively. Conclusions: MH remains an important factor for infant BW even in the presence of other determinants. The influence of MH on infants' BW in this population is similar to that found in other populations in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. K E Y W O R D Sbirth weight, maternal short height, Mexico, poverty, Yucatan

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“…The low birth weight of contemporary Indian populations is, therefore, likely to be a product of the long-term downward trend in height. Both within and between populations, birth weight scales with maternal stature ( 112 , 184 ). This scaling association can be used to predict birth weight in past populations from the skeletal evidence.…”

Section: Long-term Trends In Birth Weightmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Elevated Susceptibility to Diabetes in India: An Evolutionary Perspective

Wells¹,

Pomeroy

Walimbe

et al. 2016

Front. Public Health

121

113

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India has rapidly become a “diabetes capital” of the world, despite maintaining high rates of under-nutrition. Indians develop diabetes at younger age and at lower body weights than other populations. Here, we interpret these characteristics in terms of a “capacity–load” model of glucose homeostasis. Specifically, we assume that glycemic control depends on whether the body’s “metabolic capacity,” referring to traits, such as pancreatic insulin production and muscle glucose clearance, is able to resolve the “metabolic load” generated by high levels of body fat, high dietary glycemic load, and sedentary behavior. We employ data from modern cohorts to support the model and the interpretation that elevated diabetic risk among Indian populations results from the high metabolic load imposed by westernized lifestyles acting on a baseline of low metabolic capacity. We attribute this low metabolic capacity to the low birth weight characteristic of Indian populations, which is associated with short stature and low lean mass in adult life. Using stature as a marker of metabolic capacity, we review archeological and historical evidence to highlight long-term declines in Indian stature associated with adaptation to several ecological stresses. Underlying causes may include increasing population density following the emergence of agriculture, the spread of vegetarian diets, regular famines induced by monsoon failure, and the undermining of agricultural security during the colonial period. The reduced growth and thin physique that characterize Indian populations elevate susceptibility to truncal obesity, and increase the metabolic penalties arising from sedentary behavior and high glycemic diets. Improving metabolic capacity may require multiple generations; in the meantime, efforts to reduce the metabolic load will help ameliorate the situation.

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What Was Human Birth Weight in the Past? Simulations Based on Data on Stature from the Palaeolithic to the Present

Cited by 12 publications

References 2 publications

The Dual Burden of Malnutrition Increases the Risk of Cesarean Delivery: Evidence From India

The Dual Burden of Malnutrition Increases the Risk of Cesarean Delivery: Evidence From India

The influence of maternal height on offspring's birth weight in Merida, Mexico

The Elevated Susceptibility to Diabetes in India: An Evolutionary Perspective

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