Why did children grow so well at hard times? The ultimate importance of pathogen control during puberty.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

Secular increase in human height and performance occurred in Europe throughout the 20th century despite the temporally worsening access to nutrients during and after World War II. This pattern is paradoxical under the assumption of the major impact of pre- and postnatal growth conditions for determination of adult size and human capital.

Methodology

We examined the anthropometric parameters of Estonian girls born between 1938 and 1953, and measured around the age of 17 (n = 1475). This period involved two opposite trends in the economic and epidemiological situation: increasing birth-time economic hardships during the war and particularly in the post-war period, and decreasing infant mortality (a proxy of disease burden) after 1947.

Results

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SUBMITTER: Horak P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4530472 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature