Health costs of reproduction are minimal despite high fertility, mortality and subsistence lifestyle.

ABSTRACT: Women exhibit greater morbidity than men despite higher life expectancy. An evolutionary life history framework predicts that energy invested in reproduction trades-off against investments in maintenance and survival. Direct costs of reproduction may therefore contribute to higher morbidity, especially for women given their greater direct energetic contributions to reproduction. We explore multiple indicators of somatic condition among Tsimane forager-horticulturalist women (Total Fertility Rate = 9.1; n =  592 aged 15-44 years, n = 277 aged 45+). We test whether cumulative live births and the pace of reproduction are associated with nutritional status and immune function using longitudinal data spanning 10 years. Higher parity and faster reproductive pace are associated with lower nutriti

SUBMITTER: Gurven M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4951795 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature