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Fluctuating asymmetry and physical health among young adults

Publication ,  Journal Article
Milne, BJ; Belsky, J; Poulton, R; Murray Thomson, W; Caspi, A; Kieser, J
Published in: Evolution and Human Behavior
January 1, 2003

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), the random deviations from perfect symmetry found in the bilateral structures of bilaterally symmetric organisms, has been inconsistently linked to health. In this study, the association between FA and an array of health measures was determined for a large (n = 965) general population sample of 26-year-old men and women. FA was significantly associated with two health measures: body mass index (BMI), but only for females (more asymmetric = greater BMI), and number of medical conditions (asymmetric subjects were more likely to report they had two or more medical conditions). FA was not associated with waist/hip ratio, systolic blood pressure (BP), blood cholesterol, cardiorespiratory fitness, and periodontal disease. Two suggestions are offered for these results. The first is that, as a consequence of the association between developmental stability and low metabolism [Evol. Hum. Behav. 18 (1997) 15.], stable and unstable groups will differ on some health measures (e.g., BMI), but not those related to body maintenance (e.g., BP). The second is that because of the minimization of environmental stressors in Westernized societies, there is too much homogeneity in asymmetry among the population to detect differences within simples. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

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Published In

Evolution and Human Behavior

DOI

ISSN

1090-5138

Publication Date

January 1, 2003

Volume

24

Issue

1

Start / End Page

53 / 63

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
  • 1601 Anthropology
 

Citation

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Milne, B. J., Belsky, J., Poulton, R., Murray Thomson, W., Caspi, A., & Kieser, J. (2003). Fluctuating asymmetry and physical health among young adults. Evolution and Human Behavior, 24(1), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-5138(02)00120-4
Milne, B. J., J. Belsky, R. Poulton, W. Murray Thomson, A. Caspi, and J. Kieser. “Fluctuating asymmetry and physical health among young adults.” Evolution and Human Behavior 24, no. 1 (January 1, 2003): 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-5138(02)00120-4.
Milne BJ, Belsky J, Poulton R, Murray Thomson W, Caspi A, Kieser J. Fluctuating asymmetry and physical health among young adults. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2003 Jan 1;24(1):53–63.
Milne, B. J., et al. “Fluctuating asymmetry and physical health among young adults.” Evolution and Human Behavior, vol. 24, no. 1, Jan. 2003, pp. 53–63. Scopus, doi:10.1016/S1090-5138(02)00120-4.
Milne BJ, Belsky J, Poulton R, Murray Thomson W, Caspi A, Kieser J. Fluctuating asymmetry and physical health among young adults. Evolution and Human Behavior. 2003 Jan 1;24(1):53–63.
Journal cover image

Published In

Evolution and Human Behavior

DOI

ISSN

1090-5138

Publication Date

January 1, 2003

Volume

24

Issue

1

Start / End Page

53 / 63

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
  • 1601 Anthropology