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[Reconsideration of organ weight in Japanese (1). Heart]
Insights
Modern Japanese adults have significantly heavier heart weights compared to historical data from around World War II, indicating changes in physique. Regular monitoring of standard heart weight is now essential.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Medicine
- Human Physiology
- Anthropology
Background:
- Historical data indicates lower mean heart weights in Japanese adults compared to current measurements.
- Post-World War II improvements in nutrition and physique are hypothesized to influence heart size.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the current mean heart weight in the Japanese adult population.
- To compare contemporary heart weights with historical data.
- To assess the impact of improved nutrition and physique on heart mass.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of heart weight data from 1,399 medicolegal autopsies.
- Statistical comparison of current heart weight values with historical Japanese reference data.
Main Results:
- Mean heart weight in contemporary Japanese adults is significantly higher than historical values.
- Heart weight in late-teenagers approaches the mean values of older adults.
- Mean heart weights recorded were 360 g for men and 300 g for women.
Conclusions:
- There has been a substantial increase in mean heart weight among Japanese adults since the mid-20th century.
- Periodic research on standard heart weight is necessary due to observed changes.
- Physiological and nutritional advancements likely contribute to the increased heart mass.
Abstract:
The heart weight measured at medicolegal autopsies in these days are usually heavier than the data of the mean value of Japanese in textbooks and papers which were surveyed around the Second World War. As it was supposed that some improvement of the nutrition and physique since the end of the war should make the heart weight heavier, the value on 1,399 cases of medicolegal autopsy was measured and analyzed. The results revealed that the heart weight in the late of teens reaches the old value of grown-ups and the mean values of men (360 g) and women (300 g) earned by the present study are far more than those described in the former reports. It was presumed that periodic researches for the standard heart weight are indispensable in the consequence of the present study.