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Polynesian body size: an adaptation to environmental temperature?
1Dept of Anatomy and Structural Biology, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|January 8, 2014
Summary
Computer simulations suggest early Pacific islanders faced strong selection for large, muscular bodies. This may explain the typical Polynesian physique and its links to metabolic disorders like gout and diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Anthropology
- Human Evolution
- Physiology
Background:
- The Polynesian phenotype is characterized by a large, muscular body type.
- Understanding the evolutionary pressures that shaped this phenotype is crucial for human evolutionary studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that strong directional selection for a large muscular body occurred in the tropical Pacific.
- To explore the potential links between this phenotype and metabolic disorders.
Main Methods:
- Computer simulations modeling sea exposure in the tropical Pacific.
Main Results:
- Simulation results support the hypothesis of strong directional selection for a large muscular body in the region.
- This selection pressure is proposed as an explanation for the typical Polynesian phenotype.
Conclusions:
- The Polynesian physique may be an adaptive response to environmental pressures in the tropical Pacific.
- Further research is suggested to explore the connection between this phenotype and metabolic conditions such as gout and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
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