Anguli Parimana in Ayurveda and its association with adiposity and diabetes.

Background: Recent studies have shown the association of disproportionate body size measurements with noncommunicable diseases like diabetes. This concept is described in Ayurveda (1500 BC), which uses Anguli Parimana (the breadth of one’s own finger as 1 unit) to measure the body proportions. Excessive tallness or shortness (deviation from the reference value of Anguli Parimana) indicated deranged meda dhaatu (mainly adipose tissue). Deranged meda dhatu was associated with Prameha (diabetes). Objectives: To find association of Anguli Parimana with modern parameters of adiposity and diabetes. Materials and Methods: We studied 192 village residents representing the whole population (94 men and 98 women) to measure height, arm span, facial structures and limbs and expressed them in Anguli pariman (ratio of each measure as: Length or height of the body part [cm]/anguli, i.e. average finger breadth [cm]). The Anguli measurements were associated with body mass index, body fat percentage by DEXA, glucose and fasting insulin levels. Results: The volunteers were adults between 20 and 40 years age. Their mean fasting and 2 h plasma glucose concentrations were 91.6 mg% and 102.8 mg%, respectively. Of all, only 6 subjects had impaired glucose tolerance, while 3 were diabetic (WHO 1999). When compared with reference Anguli measurements mentioned by Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, the participants had smaller height, facial structures, and lower limbs. Those, who had proportionately smaller facial, neck and limb structures, had higher obesity, adiposity, plasma glucose, insulin and insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment [HOMA]‑R) indicating higher metabolic risk. In contrast, those who had proportionately larger forehead and face had higher beta cell function measured as HOMA‑B indicating lower risk for diabetes (r = 0.20 both P < 0.05 all, adjusted for age and gender). Conclusion: Compared with ancient Indian Anguli reference, our subjects were proportionately smaller in most of the measurements except fingers and upper arm. Relative smallness of body parts was predictive of increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Proporção corporal em crianças e adolescentes com síndrome de down / Body proportions in children and adolescents with down syndrome

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as proporções corporais entre estatura tronco-cefálicae comprimento de pernas de crianças e adolescentes com Síndrome de Down (SD). Para tanto, a amostra foi composta por 99 pessoas SD (40 meninas com idade média de 11,45±2,6 anos e 59 meninos com 12,07±3,0 anos). Os seguintes parâmetros foram coletados: idade cronológica, estatura, estatura tronco-cefálica e comprimento de pernas. As proporções corporais dos segmentos foram calculadas através dos índices corpóreos e modelo Phantom. Para a análise estatística recorreu-se ao teste de normalidade e análises descritivas de tendência central e dispersão, posteriormente, foi adotado o teste t de Student. Para todos os tratamentos utilizou-se o programa estatístico SPSS 13.0 e nível de significância de p<0,05. Observou-se que, a proporção corporal entre os segmentos superiores e inferiores de crianças e adolescentes com SD apresenta diferença quando comparado a população típica. Sendo esta diferença para comprimento de pernas, e a proporção de estatura tronco-cefálica atingiu valores próximos aos intervalos da população sem SD.

The present study aimed to evaluate the body proportions of sitting height and leg length in children and adolescents with Down's syndrome (DS). The sample consisted of 99 individuals with DS (40 girls with an average age of 11.45 ± 2.6 years and 59 boys with an average age of 12.07 ± 3.0 years). The following parameters were studied: chronological age, height, sitting height and leg length. The body proportions of each segment were calculated using body indices and the Phantom model. For the statistical analysis, the normality test and descriptive analyses of central tendency and dispersion were performed, and Student's t-test was used. For all treatments, the statistical software program SPSS version 13.0 was used, and a significance level of p < 0.05 was set. The body proportion of the upper and lower segments of children and adolescents with DS differed from those of the typical population in terms of leg length, whereas the seated height values of individuals with DS †were similar to those of individuals without DS.

A test of Allen's rule in ectotherms: the case of two south American Melanopline Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) with partially overlapping geographic ranges / Un test de la regla de Allen en ectotermos: el caso de dos Saltamontes Melanoplinos (Orthoptera: Acrididae) sudamericanos con distribuciones Geográficas parcialmente solapadas

We studied the geographic variation of three morphometric characters in relation to body size in two South American grasshoppers (Acrididae), Dichroplus vittatus Bruner and D. pratensis Bruner to test Allen's rule in these ectotherms. Since both species follow the converse to Bergmann's rule owing to latitudinal and/or altitudinal variation in time available for growth and reproduction, geographic variation in body size proportions of protruding parts may obey to differential allometric growth in different geographic areas. Alternatively, it could reflect true Allenian variation related to thermoregulation. Body proportions were studied by correlation/regression analyses with geographic and climatic variables. In D. pratensis, body proportions increased with latitude and decreased with altitude. These results probably obey to the effects of water balance and seasonality on final body size, and on the allometric growth of the three studied characters not being related to thermoregulation. In D. vittatus, a generally non-significant trend towards the decrease of the mean proportions of all three characters with increasing latitude was observed. Nevertheless, also in this species, it is probable that the environmental gradient responds to seasonality factors (although not to water balance) that affect the length of growing season and, in consequence, body size and its allometric relationships. We conclude that the regularities in the geographic distribution of body proportions of D. pratensis and D. vittatus do not follow Allen's rule in the sense of thermoregulation, and result from variables that determine growing season length and the allometric growth of different body parts.

Estudiamos la variación geográfica de tres caracteres morfométricos en relación al tamaño corporal, en dos saltamontes sudamericanos (Acrididae), Dichroplus vittatus Bruner y D. pratensis Bruner, para verificar la regla de Allen en ectotermos. Ambas especies siguen la regla de Bergmann inversa por variación latitudinal y/o altitudinal en el tiempo disponible para crecimiento y reproducción; entonces la variación de proporciones de partes salientes del cuerpo, obedecería a crecimiento alométrico diferencial en diferentes áreas geográficas. Alternativamente, podría reflejar variación alleniana relacionada a termorregulación. Las proporciones corporales se estudiaron por análisis de correlación/regresión con variables geográficas y climáticas. En D. pratensis, las proporciones corporales aumentaron con la latitud, y decrecieron con la altitud. Esto probablemente obedezca a efectos del balance hídrico y la estacionalidad sobre el tamaño corporal final, y al crecimiento alométrico de los tres caracteres independientemente de la termorregulación. En D. vittatus, se observó una tendencia generalmente no significativa al decrecimiento de las proporciones de los tres caracteres con el incremento de latitud. Sin embargo, también es probable que el gradiente ambiental responda a factores de estacionalidad que afectan la duración de la estación de crecimiento y, consecuentemente, el tamaño corporal y sus relaciones alométricas. Concluimos qué las relaciones alométricas en la distribución geográfica de proporciones corporales de D. pratensis y D. vittatus no siguen la regla de Allen en el sentido de la termorregulación, y son el resultado de variables que determinan la duración de la estación de crecimiento y el crecimiento alométrico de diferentes partes del cuerpo.

Wearing Sensibility Related to Body Shape in Middle Aged Women / 체질인류학회지

The present study was performed to examine wearing sensibility related to body shape in middle aged women. Body measurements, front and side views and index values between girth measurements were used as the body shape comparison elements. The results obtained are as follows. 1. Bust girth, waist girth and hip girth in middle aged women showed greater values (respectively : 6%, 11.4% and 3.4%) than in young aged women. 2. For the drop value between hip girth and bust girth, the results were 7.3 cm in tweenties, 3.6 cm in thirties, 4.2 cm in forties, 1.5 cm in fifties and 0.7 cm in sixties. 3. Front and side shape examination: Assuming a value of 1.00 for the waist breadth and waist depth, the results in middle aged women were 0.7 and 1.2 in nipple and hip breadth, and 1.1 and 1.1 in bust and hip depth. 4. The sensibility related to body shape, abdoman, waist and arm were most reshaped elements by aging.

Changes of Somatotypes and Body Proportions in Korean Youths / 체질인류학회지

The aim of the present study is to try to quantify the changes in somatotypes and to determine, if any, the distinctive features of young Koreans while they are growing. It is based on the data offered by the Korean National survey of 1997 and the subjects taken in account were those ranging from 6 to 17 years of age. The analized contents used by us here were the annual growth rates, the body shape grouping by canonical analysis statistical method and body proportion rate changes. 1. The result for the growth rates showed that youngsters have their peak growth velocity between 12 and 14 years of age in case of boys and between 8 and 10 in case of girls. 2. The result for the body shape grouping shows that, the body type of the young childhood (from 6 to 9 years of age), the body type of the puberty (from 10 to 12 years of age) and the body type of the junior adolescent (from 13 to 15 years of age), thus, leads us to distinguish 3 groups. 3. As examples of items body proportion rates, we found for instance that the ratio of the span for the height was 0.996H in case of grown males Korean between 18~24 years of age, 0.994H for ages from 25 to 50, and in case of grown females 0.984H for ages 18~24 and 0.985H for ages 25~50, showing then a slightly longer ratio for males. There was no noticable differences though betwen the two big age groups (18~24 years of age and 25~50 years of age). 4. Body proportion rates showed also that the grown-up body features were attained in average both for boys and girls, around the age of 13 years.