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Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya.

Publication ,  Conference
McGrosky, A; Swanson, ZS; Rimbach, R; Bethancourt, H; Ndiema, E; Nzunza, R; Braun, DR; Rosinger, AY; Pontzer, H
Published in: Annals of human biology
February 2024

Pastoralists live in challenging environments, which may be accompanied by unique activity, energy, and water requirements.Few studies have examined whether the demands of pastoralism contribute to differences in total energy expenditure (TEE) and water turnover (WT) compared to other lifestyles.Accelerometer-derived physical activity, doubly labelled water-derived TEE and WT, and anthropometric data were collected for 34 semi-nomadic Daasanach adults from three northern Kenyan communities with different levels of pastoralist activity. Daasanach TEEs and WTs were compared to those of other small-scale and industrialised populations.When modelled as a function of fat-free-mass, fat-mass, age, and sex, TEE did not differ between Daasanach communities. Daasanach TEE (1564-4172 kcal/day) was not significantly correlated with activity and 91% of TEEs were within the range expected for individuals from comparison populations. Mean WT did not differ between Daasanach communities; Daasanach absolute (7.54 litres/day men; 7.46 litres/day women), mass-adjusted, and TEE-adjusted WT was higher than most populations worldwide.The similar mass-adjusted TEE of Daasanach and industrialised populations supports the hypothesis that habitual TEE is constrained, with physically demanding lifestyles necessitating trade-offs in energy allocation. Elevated WT in the absence of elevated TEE likely reflects a demanding active lifestyle in a hot, arid climate.

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Published In

Annals of human biology

DOI

EISSN

1464-5033

ISSN

0301-4460

Publication Date

February 2024

Volume

51

Issue

1

Start / End Page

2310724

Related Subject Headings

  • Water
  • Male
  • Kenya
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Exercise
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Anthropometry
  • Anatomy & Morphology
  • Adult
 

Citation

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McGrosky, A., Swanson, Z. S., Rimbach, R., Bethancourt, H., Ndiema, E., Nzunza, R., … Pontzer, H. (2024). Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya. In Annals of human biology (Vol. 51, p. 2310724). https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460.2024.2310724
McGrosky, Amanda, Zane S. Swanson, Rebecca Rimbach, Hilary Bethancourt, Emmanuel Ndiema, Rosemary Nzunza, David R. Braun, Asher Y. Rosinger, and Herman Pontzer. “Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya.” In Annals of Human Biology, 51:2310724, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460.2024.2310724.
McGrosky A, Swanson ZS, Rimbach R, Bethancourt H, Ndiema E, Nzunza R, et al. Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya. In: Annals of human biology. 2024. p. 2310724.
McGrosky, Amanda, et al. “Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya.Annals of Human Biology, vol. 51, no. 1, 2024, p. 2310724. Epmc, doi:10.1080/03014460.2024.2310724.
McGrosky A, Swanson ZS, Rimbach R, Bethancourt H, Ndiema E, Nzunza R, Braun DR, Rosinger AY, Pontzer H. Total daily energy expenditure and elevated water turnover in a small-scale semi-nomadic pastoralist society from Northern Kenya. Annals of human biology. 2024. p. 2310724.

Published In

Annals of human biology

DOI

EISSN

1464-5033

ISSN

0301-4460

Publication Date

February 2024

Volume

51

Issue

1

Start / End Page

2310724

Related Subject Headings

  • Water
  • Male
  • Kenya
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Exercise
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Anthropometry
  • Anatomy & Morphology
  • Adult