Nutritional stress and growth: Sex difference in adaptive response

Abstract Most of the residents of Heliconia, Colombia, live in a continual state of malnutrition characterized by a lack of protein and an excess of carbohydrate in the diet. Kwashiorkor and Marasmus are frequently observed when such dietary imbalances occur. These conditions are seen in Heliconia, but even when the recognized symptoms of clinical malnutrition are absent, there are long‐term morphological changes associated with protein deficiency. In the present study, interest is centered on the relative effects of protein deficiency on the skeletal maturation of apparently healthy boys and girls. Incidental comparisons of clinically‐diagnosed Kwashiorkor and Marasmus patients with each other and with non‐affected controls are also made. It is seen that skeletal maturation in early life is delayed in almost all Heliconia children when compared to U.S. standards. Female controls appear to experience a form of catch‐up growth beginning in the preadolescent period, while male controls appear more severely retarded throughout adolescence. The result is a reduction in stature most pronounced in boys and a concomitant reduction in sexual dimorphism for overall body size. The Kwashiorkor‐ and Marasmus‐affected children show a more severe retardation of skeletal growth with no significant sex difference in their response.