Hormones, Health and Behaviour: A Socio-ecological and Lifespan Perspective

by Edited by Catherine Panter-Brick , Carol M. Worthman

• ISBN13: 9780521573320
• ISBN10: 0521573327
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Hormones, Health and Behavior looks at the relationship of human biology and human society at the intersection of behavior, hormones and health.

Table of Contents

Contributors	ix
1 Contributions of biological anthropology to the study of hormones, health, and behavior	1	(17)
C. Panter-Brick
C. M. Worthman
1.1 Current issues linking hormones, health, and behavior	1	(2)
1.2 Value added by an anthropological approach	3	(7)
1.3 Relevance to health	10	(3)
1.4 Goals and overall organization	13	(2)
1.5 Audience	15	(1)
1.6 References	16	(2)
2 Hormonal correlates of personality and social contexts: from non-human to human primates	18	(29)
R. M. Sapolsky
2.1 Introduction	18	(1)
2.2 A brief overview of glucocorticoid action	19	(3)
2.3 Cortisol concentrations and rank	22	(2)
2.4 Glucocorticoids, rank, and the societal context of that rank	24	(2)
2.5 The personal experience of rank and its societal context	26	(3)
2.6 Personality as a modulator of adrenocortical status	29	(7)
2.7 Humans, hypercortisolism, and individual differences	36	(3)
2.8 Conclusions	39	(1)
2.9 References	40	(7)
3 Epidemiology of human development	47	(58)
C. M. Worthman
3.1 Introduction	47	(2)
3.2 Life history theory	49	(4)
3.3 Endocrine architecture of life history	53	(1)
3.4 Endocrine trajectories in human development	54	(4)
3.5 Hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis	58	(4)
3.6 Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis	62	(10)
3.6.1 Cortisol	64	(4)
3.6.2 Adrenal androgens	68	(4)
3.7 Thyrotropic axis and central metabolic regulation	72	(4)
3.8 Somatotropic axis and semi-distributed metabolic regulation	76	(12)
3.9 Bases of variation	83	(1)
3.9.1 Secular trends and population variation	83	(4)
3.9.2 Intrapopulation variation	87	(1)
3.10 Implications for health	88	(4)
3.11 Conclusions	92	(2)
3.12 References	94	(11)
4 Family environment, stress, and health during childhood	105	(34)
M. V. Flinn
4.1 Introduction	105	(2)
4.2 Stress response mechanisms and theory	107	(6)
4.3 Studying childhood stress in a rural Caribbean village	113	(5)
4.3.1 Variables and measures used in the study	113	(1)
4.3.2 The study village	114	(1)
4.3.3 Collecting saliva and assaying hormones	115	(3)
4.4 Stress response and family environment	118	(6)
4.5 Stress, illness, and immune function	124	(4)
4.6 Summary and concluding remarks	128	(2)
4.7 References	130	(9)
5 Work and hormonal variation in subsistence and industrial contexts	139	(45)
C. Panter-Brick
T. M. Pollard
5.1 Introduction	139	(3)
5.2 Adult physical work	142	(10)
5.2.1 Range of physical activity levels across populations	142	(1)
5.2.2 Energetic variables and health outcomes	143	(4)
5.2.3 Energetics, sex hormones, and reproduction	147	(4)
5.2.4 Physical activity and catecholamines	151	(1)
5.3 Women's work in reproduction	152	(4)
5.4 Sedentary work	156	(8)
5.4.1 Occupational specialization and sedentary work	156	(3)
5.4.2 Epinephrine in modernizing and industrial communities	159	(3)
5.4.3 Cortisol and "stress" at work	162	(2)
5.5 Adult unemployment	164	(3)
5.5.1 Unemployment and ill health	164	(2)
5.5.2 Endocrine variation associated with unemployment	166	(1)
5.6 Children's stress in work environments	167	(6)
5.7 Conclusion	173	(1)
5.8 References	174	(10)
6 Reproductive ecology and reproductive cancers	184	(26)
P. T. Ellison
6.1 Introduction	184	(1)
6.2 Carcinogenesis and tumor growth	185	(2)
6.3 Cancer growth and endogenous steroids	187	(5)
6.4 Reproductive ecology and endogenous steroids	192	(6)
6.5 Reproductive ecology and reproductive cancer risk	198	(5)
6.6 References	203	(7)
7 Diet, hormones, and health: an evolutionary-ecological perspective	210	(34)
P. L. Whitten
7.1 Introduction	210	(1)
7.2 Health, hormones, and diet	211	(2)
7.3 Phytoestrogen actions	213	(6)
7.4 Diet and the regulation of reproduction	219	(2)
7.5 The hominoid heritage	221	(7)
7.5.1 Food preferences	222	(1)
7.5.2 Perceptual mechanisms	223	(3)
7.5.3 Reproductive ecology	226	(2)
7.6 Human food choices	228	(4)
7.6.1 Perceptual biases	228	(1)
7.6.2 Foraging and plant domestication	229	(3)
7.7 Conclusions	232	(3)
7.8 References	235	(9)
8 Modernization, psychosocial factors, insulin, and cardiovascular health	244	(37)
S. T. McGarvey
8.1 Introduction	244	(1)
8.2 Concepts and aspects of modernization	245	(5)
8.2.1 Energetic and socio-economic aspects	245	(2)
8.2.2 Psychosocial aspects	247	(3)
8.3 The role of insulin	250	(6)
8.3.1 Insulin and the sympathetic nervous system	251	(2)
8.3.2 Insulin, sympathetic nervous system, and energy balance	253	(1)
8.3.3 Insulin and adiposity	254	(1)
8.3.4 Insulin, blood pressure, and lipids	255	(1)
8.4 Implications for modernizing populations	256	(1)
8.5 Samoan research	257	(16)
8.5.1 Adiposity and insulin	257	(5)
8.5.2 Insulin and blood pressure	262	(3)
8.5.3 Insulin and lipids	265	(1)
8.5.4 Urinary catecholamines	266	(1)
8.5.5 Psychosocial factors	267	(6)
8.6 Conclusion	273	(1)
8.7 References	274	(7)
Index	281