Sex differences in adipose development in a hunter-gatherer population

Area of Science:

• Human biology
• Anthropology
• Nutritional science

Background:

• Humans exhibit significant sexual dimorphism in body composition, with females typically having higher fat mass than males.
• Adipose sex differences development is well-documented in food-abundant settings, but less is known about cross-cultural variations in preindustrial populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate adipose development and body composition in the Savanna Pumé, a South American hunter-gatherer group.
• To compare growth patterns in a preindustrial population with those in industrialized societies.

Main Methods:

• Fitting multiple growth curves to body composition and anthropometric data.
• Analyzing adipose development trajectories in Savanna Pumé children.

Main Results:

• No significant adiposity rebound was observed in early childhood for either Savanna Pumé girls or boys.
• Fat deposition fluctuated between ages 4-9 years, with noticeable accumulation only starting at puberty.
• Body fat fluctuations were more pronounced in girls than boys.
• Peak gains in skeletal, weight, and adipose tissue were more staggered in the Savanna Pumé compared to NHANES III reference data.

Conclusions:

• Growth patterns in preindustrial, lean populations offer a crucial baseline for understanding contemporary sex differences in body fat.
• Developmental strategies in lean populations may involve staggered gains in different body components.