Pubertal timing, hormones, and body composition among adolescent Turkana males

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8314864
AutoresB C Campbell (0000-0003-3497-3735, Boston University, autor de correspondencia), P W Leslie (0000-0001-9856-4602, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Michael A Little (0000-0003-1035-1237, Binghamton University), Kenneth L Campbell (0000-0001-7005-7086, University of Massachusetts Boston)
Año2005
Volumen128
Número4
Páginas896-905
Fecha de publicación2005-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.20204
PMID16110484
OpenAlexW2073080848
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8
Referencias citadas54

The Turkana, like other East African pastoral groups, are known for their tall adult stature, achieved despite a blunted growth spurt during adolescence and continued growth into the early 20s. To investigate the hormonal mechanisms associated with the pattern of slow and continued adolescent growth, we collected data on hormonal status, height, weight, and trunk skinfolds and ethnographic self‐reports of testicular maturation in a cross‐sectional sample of 35 nomadic and 37 settled Turkana males aged 14–24. Hormonal determinations included testosterone (T), sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG), and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in blood, in addition to urinary DHEA. Self‐reports of testicular maturation showed no difference between settled and nomadic subpopulations. However, nomadic boys exhibited significantly higher levels of T, DHEA, and SHBG. Of all the hormones, only SHBG showed a significant relationship with age. Multiple regression models show blood T and SHBG to be significant independent predictors of achieved height as well as weight, controlling for age. Our results suggest that onset of puberty is substantially delayed among Turkana males, and that bioavailable T is related to growth in stature during adolescence. We suggest that SHBG acts to mediate the effects of energy availability on adolescent growth in this energetically limited population. Our findings may also have implications for understanding adolescent growth among Homo erectus . Am J Phys Anthropol 2005., © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc

Androgen · Biology · Dehydroepiandrosterone · Hormone · Population · Sex hormone-binding globulin · Testosterone (patch) · Endocrinology · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Hormonal and reproductive studies · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Physiology · Sexual Differentiation and Disorders