Stieglitz, Jonathan, Trumble, Benjamin C., Kaplan, Hillard and Gurven, Michael (2017) Horticultural activity predicts later localized limb status in a contemporary pre-industrial population. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 163 (3). pp. 425-436.

Abstract

Modern humans may have gracile skeletons due to low physical activity levels and mechanical loading. Tests using pre-historic skeletons are limited by the inability to assess behavior directly, while modern industrialized societies possess few socio-ecological features typical of human evolutionary history. Among Tsimane forager-horticulturalists, we test whether greater activity levels and, thus, increased loading earlier in life are associated with greater later-life bone status and diminished age-related bone loss.