Diurnal cortisol rhythms and child growth: Exploring the life history consequences of HPA activation among the Tsimane'

Abstract

This study reports a small, but significant, life history cost of elevated diurnal cortisol rhythms on linear growth among Tsimane' children, and provides critical insight into the developmental origins of health differentials among an indigenous Amazonian population experiencing rapid lifestyle changes.

Early origins of health disparities: Material deprivation predicts maternal evening cortisol in pregnancy and offspring cortisol reactivity in the first few weeks of life

“…These findings point to an early origin in social disparity‐based differences in biological function. Since changes in HPA‐axis function established in early life can have downstream impacts on growth, cardiovascular, immune, reproductive, and cognitive systems (Nepomnaschy and Flinn, ; Nyberg et al, ), these intergenerational HPA‐axis effects may contribute to an intergenerational cycle of health disparities (Kuzawa and Sweet, ; Wells, ).…”

Designing mental health interventions informed by child development and human biology theory: A social ecology intervention for child soldiers inNepal

“…Traditionally life history theory focused on biology from a reproductive fitness perspective examining restraints related to mortality, adult size, and reproductive maturity (Stearns, ). Increasingly, life history theory has been used to understand both population‐differences and individual‐differences in health and behavior (Brewis, ; Decaro et al, ; Flinn et al, ; Nyberg et al, ; Vitzthum et al, ; Worthman, ; Worthman and Brown, ). A specific advancement has been moving from standard epidemiological models of between‐individual differences, to focusing on the person‐environment interaction to understand health and behavior (Worthman and Kuzara, ; Worthman, ).…”

“…Their ecological approaches are well complimented by theoretical frameworks from the anthropological field of human biology. Conceptual frameworks such as life‐history theory, trade‐offs, system cascades, and proximal and distal feedback processes (Blackwell et al, ; Brewis, ; Decaro et al, ; Nyberg et al, ; Stormer, ; Wells, ; Worthman and Kuzara, ; Worthman, ) all have relevance to design of prevention and intervention programs to reduce childhood exposure to stressors and trauma as well support treatment for those already exposed. Human biology theory is useful at both a metaphorical level to conceptualize social‐ecological systems, and human biology is important as it lays out mechanisms and pathways by which experience “gets under the skin” to move from stressful exposure to mental health problems and illness (Worthman, ; Worthman and Costello, ).…”

Research progress on the central mechanism underlying regulation of visceral biological rhythm by per2 (Review)

“…A number of observations support that PER2 is involved in metabolic disease: i) hypercortisolism (or Cushing's syndrome) causes central obesity; ii) bilateral adrenal gland removal induces a reduction in food intake and weight due to the permanent absence of cortisol, which regulates per2 in the organs and provides negative feedback to the hypothalamus, hippocampus and other brain sites in the CNS; iii) cortisol plays an important role in maintaining metabolic balance, including regulation of food intake and insulin levels (54); iv) following adrenalectomy, cortisol function is disrupted, while upon hypophysectomy, the function of the HPA axis is disrupted. These disorders can lead to cortisol release, circadian disappearance, irregular food intake and even body weight gain (55); and v) Cushing's syndrome patients experience anxiety, one of the manifestations of acute or chronic stress, which can result in increased cortisol release, rhythmic destruction and reduced CRF levels in the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. Thus, patients are eager to have high-calorie and -fat food, with the associated reduction in hypothalamic CRF release, reducing stress-induced anxiety-like behavior (56).…”