Preliminary report on the short stature of Southeast Asian forest dwellers, the Manni, in southern Thailand: lack of an adolescent spurt in plasma IGF-I concentration.
Plasma concentration of insulin-like growth factor type-I (IGF-I) was studied among the Mannis in Thailand to find a possible cause of their short stature. The Mannis are hunting and gathering indigenous tribal peoples living in Asian tropical rain forests. A total of 50 plasma specimens from three different Manni groups in southern Thailand were used in this study. The concentrations of acid-ethanol extract of plasma IGF-I were measured by radio-immunoassay. We found that (1) plasma concentration of IGF-I in the Mannis was low, (2) there was no adolescent spurt in IGF-I levels, and (3) the post adolescent plasma IGF-I level of the Manni was significantly lower than that of age-matched Japanese. Low IGF-I levels among the Mannis may account for their short stature.
Ishida
T
T
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo, Japan. tishida@uts2.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Suzuki
J
J
Duangchan
P
P
Settheetham-Ishida
W
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; D044469:Racial Groups; D013785:Thailand
D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I