Anthropological Review

Asymmetry in Body Composition Variables of Youth Athletes

Albena Dimitrova — 2024-03-28

Assessing bilateral differences in paired anthropometric features is an important methodological problem in sports anthropology. The present study included 128 adolescent female athletes (59 rhythmic gymnasts, 58 tennis players, and 11 swimmers). Body composition components were determined using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance measurements (analyzer InBody 170). Asymmetry coefficients of muscle and fat mass accumulation in the upper (AA) and lower (AL) limbs were calculated using the Nacheva` equation (1986). The percentiles method was applied to distribute the bilaterally studied anthropometric features according to the mean values of the units of asymmetry (UA). Wilkoxon-test was used to assess the statistically significant differences in paired variables. Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to determine the differences in UA between three assessed athlete groups, depending on their age. The differences in body composition components between rhythmic gymnasts (RG), tennis players (TP), and swimmers (SW) were well expressed in all assessed age groups. The most considerable inter-group differences were observed in terms of the asymmetry coefficient in the lean body mass (LBM) with a right direction and body fat mass with a left direction for upper limb fat mass (%, kg), which have signed the highest values in the tennis players group, followed by the RG on the same age. Swimmers had significantly the lowest values of UA for all body segments. A close relation was found between asymmetry in body composition variables and the type of sports activity. Tennis was found as a sport with more pronounced inter-limbs asymmetry.

Age at pubarche and the risk of developing cardiometabolic complications among 50–52-year-old men from Krakow Longitudinal Study (Poland)

Barbara Anna Spring — 2024-03-28

Despite contradictory observations, it has been postulated that early age of adrenarche predisposes to an increased risk of cardiometabolic complications in further ontogeny due to greater body fatness. The aim of this study was to test the above postulates.

We present the results of research on 67 men aged 50–52 – participants of the Krakow Longitudinal Study conducted in the years 1976–2022 – from two birth cohorts 1970 and 1972. Boys were examined annually, aged 6–18, initially 940 people, at the age of eighteen – 358. They were examined again as adult men in 2004 (age 32–34) – 122 people and again in 2022 (age 50–52 years) 67 men. Based on the pubarcheal age, 50-year-olds were divided into 3 groups: early (11 people), average maturing (44 people) and (12 people), where the following were compared: resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, basic parameters lipid profile – total cholesterol and its fractions, triglycerides, fasting glucose, body height and weight, waist and hip circumferences, indicators – Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist–hip Ratio (WHR), the thickness of 6 skinfolds and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

The results of the analyses showed that:

(1) there is a clear gradation, i.e., the earlier the age of pubarche, the worse the metabolic health of men;

(2) compared to the other groups, the total adiposity in men with early pubarche is slightly higher, with clearly marked abdominal obesity; BMI and WHR showed a contrasting picture.

At this stage of the analyses, it is difficult to clearly judge whether the cause of the increased cardiometabolic risk in the studied men with early pubarche is related to earlier age of adrenarche and the mechanisms and stimuli causing it, or to greater adiposity.

The variability of anthropometric and body composition parameters in middle-aged women associated with menopause and smoking

Simona Sulis — 2024-03-27

Menopause and its related hormonal changes are associated with the variation of body composition, especially impacting adipose tissue metabolism and the reduction of lean mass. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of smoking during menopause on the subsequent effects on body composition.

The sample comprised of 572 Slovak women aged between 39 and 65 years (49.67±6.2). Standard anthropometric techniques were used to collect anthropometric measurements, whereas bioelectrical parameters were measured utilizing a mono-frequency bioimpedance analyzer (BIA 101). Data on menopausal status, physical activity, and smoking habits were obtained via a specific questionnaire.

In postmenopausal women, our results showed a statistically significant difference between smokers and non-smokers in BMI, TBW%, ECW%, ICW%, MM%, FFM%, FM% (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in premenopausal women, although two-way analysis of covariance revealed a significant interaction between smoking and menopausal status on the FM% (p < 0.001), FFM% (p < 0.001), and MM% (p = 0.002), whilst controlling for age and physical activity.

In our sample group of middle-aged women, the combined impact of menopause and smoking appeared to influence anthropometric parameters and body composition.

Morphological structure and ethnic background of the Sudanese Shagia tribe (East Africa)

Anna Stangret — 2024-03-27

North Sudan, especially the 4^th Nile Cataract region, is home to one of the world’s most isolated human populations. This study aimed to clarify the ethnic background of the Shagia based on anthropological analyses. This study provides a morphological and ethnographic characterisation of the previously unstudied Shagia tribe. Head and body measurements were conducted among 64 adults from three villages. There were observable but relatively small admixture proportions of non-African population genes (light skin colour, narrow noses and masculine proportions) in their morphological build. The Shagia’s uniqueness may have been the result of severe genetic drift episodes resulting from founding events, such as long-term isolation and traditionally small population size. It is useful to trace the ethnic history of Africans and, specifically, for the tribal members of Shagia so that they may better understand and learn about their history. This study shows that the Shagia tribe was displaced from their territory due to the construction of the Merowe Dam. Thus, the results of this research fulfil the assumptions of urgent anthropology, as it contributes to the protection of the heritage of the 4^th Nile Cataract region: an area of historical value to the study of the evolution of contemporary civilisation.

Possible future evolutionary consequences to Homo as a result of the implementation of biotechnology

Arthur Saniotis — 2024-04-04

Biotechnology has become one of the most powerful forces on the planet, since it is capable of altering life processes at a molecular level. Since human bodies are dynamic biological systems, medicine requires to understand the evolutionary antecedents of Homo, especially in relation to neurohormonal regulation. Furthermore, increasing human dependence on biotechnology has led to relaxed natural selection in Homo, with subsequent increase of genetic load. In this paper, we speculate on the possible consequences of the application of parsimoniously derived biotechnologies onto the biological system of humans, with special attention to three areas: 1. human brain augmentation; 2. biotechnology and public health; 3. relaxed natural selection and genetic load. Human ability to manipulate and alter the structure and function of the body may not only make natural selection redundant but will be guided by a teleology whose purpose will seek to improve upon nature’s design.

AI-generated faces show lower morphological diversity than real faces do

Olga Boudníková — 2024-04-17

Some recent studies suggest that artificial intelligence can create realistic human faces subjectively unrecognizable from faces of real people. We have compared static facial photographs of 197 real men with a sample of 200 male faces generated by artificial intelligence to test whether they converge in basic morphological characteristic such as shape variation and bilateral asymmetry. Both datasets depicted standardized faces of European men with a neutral expression. Then we used geometric morphometrics to investigate their facial morphology and calculate the measures of shape variation and asymmetry. We found that the natural faces of real individuals were more variable in their facial shape than the artificially generated faces were. Moreover, the artificially synthesized faces showed lower levels of facial asymmetry than the control group. Despite the rapid development of generative adversarial networks, natural faces are thus still statistically distinguishable from the artificial ones by objective measurements. We recommend the researchers in face perception, that aim to use artificially generated faces as ecologically valid stimuli, to check whether their stimuli morphological variance is comparable with that of natural faces in a target population.

The presence of Homo in Sicily: evidence, hypotheses and uncorroborated ideas. An archaeo-anthropological perspective

Claudia Portaro — 2024-04-17

This article summarises the main findings and data on the ancient peopling of the Mediterranean island of Sicily through an archaeo-anthropological perspective. The hypothesis surrounding the presence of the Lower Palaeolithic in Sicily with more ancestral species of Homo is also extensively reviewed and it is explained why there are not sufficient elements to maintain it. Finally, future multidisciplinary proposals are made to fill the gap on Sicilian cave archaeology.

Tuberculous spondylitis: Macromorphological and radiological studies on a skeleton from the Late Iron Age monument of Nor Armavir, Armenia

Anahit Yu. Khudaverdyan — 2024-04-17

The skeleton in question derives from the Late Iron Age monument of Nor Armavir and was unearthed from burial No. 19. The deceased was buried in an unusual position. In this article, we characterize the pathological bony changes indicative of tuberculous spondylitis. The skeleton was subject to a detailed macroscopic investigation. Besides age at death estimation and sex determination, a careful palaeopathological evaluation was performed on the bone remains. In addition, volumetric (3D) computed tomography was carried out on four lumbar vertebrae (L2–5) to complement the macromorphology-based diagnosis.