Sex differences in the patterning of age‐related bone loss in the human hallucal metatarsal in rural and urban populations

Bibliographic Data

ID8318921
AuthorsLaura A B Wilson (0000-0002-3779-8277, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia, corresponding author), I De Groote (0000-0002-9860-0180, HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts), Louise T Humphrey, Louise Humphrey (0000-0003-3595-0543, Department of Earth Sciences The Natural History Museum London London UK)
Year2020
Volume171
Issue4
Pages628-644
Publication date2020-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.24002
PMID31925961
OpenAlexW3000493159
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited118

OBJECTIVES: Age-degenerative features of the metatarsals are poorly known despite the importance of metatarsal bone properties for investigating mobility patterns. We assessed the role of habitual activity in shaping the patterning and magnitude of sexual dimorphism in age-related bone loss in the hallucal metatarsal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sections were extracted at midshaft from micro-computed tomography scan models of individuals from medieval rural (Abingdon Vineyard) and early industrial urban (Spitalfields) settings (n = 71). A suite of cross-sectional geometry dimensions and biomechanical properties were compared between populations. RESULTS: The rural group display generally stronger and larger metatarsals that show a greater capacity to resist torsion and that have comparatively greater bending strength along the medio-lateral plane. Men in both groups show greater values of cortical area than women, but only in the urban group do men show lower magnitudes of age-related decline compared to females. Women in rural and urban populations show different patterns of age-related decline in bone mass, particularly old women in the urban group show a marked decline in cortical area that is absent for women in the rural group. DISCUSSION: Lifetime exposure to hard, physical activity in an agricultural setting has contributed to the attainment of greater bone mass and stronger bones in young adults. Furthermore, over the life-course, less of this greater amount of bone is lost, such that sustained activity levels may have acted to buffer against age-related decline, and this is most pronounced for women, who are expected to experience greater bone loss later in life than men

Anthropometry · Cortical bone · Pathology · Rural area · Sexual dimorphism · Anatomy · Bone health and osteoporosis research · Demography · Endocrinology · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Morphological variations and asymmetry