Olga I. Parfenteva

Introduction. Childhood and adolescent obesity are associated with impairment of motor skills. However, studies assessing effect of underweight on motor skills as well as the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and motor skills are limited. The purpose of the study was to evaluate relationship between motor skills and BMI in the group of school-aged boys (7–12 years).

Material and methods. The data were collected fr om 7–12-year-old boys (1–5th grade) in the 38 Russia's federal constituent entities of eight federal districts. Height and weight were measured, BMI was calculated. Physical education teachers conducted the testing: endurance 6-minute run test (meters), 3x10 m shuttle run test (seconds), long standing jump (centimeters), forward bend test (centimeters), and 30-m sprint run test (seconds). The dataset contained 54 381 observations. The linear, quadratic and general additive models were built to check relationships between the motor skills and BMI.

Results. It was identified that high values of BMI are associated with impaired results of endurance and speed-strength abilities. Male children with a low and normal BMI values did not differ in motor skills. Despite a low level of explained variation of proportion of motor skills, a significant relationship between of motor development and BMI are noted. In the group of 7-year-old male children, the relationship was not identified. Whereas in the group of 8–12-year-old children it has a curvilinear relationship.

Conclusion. The relationship between motor skills and BMI is curvilinear (quadratic) in the group of 8–12-year-old boys. Hereafter, the modeling of non-linear relationship between motor development and BMI with other predictors might help identifying the optimum zone of body composition wh ere the adaptation potential will be the highest. It is also allowed to compare this zone in the groups of different ages and sexes. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. There are a number of genes, individual alleles of which or their combinations make the carrier susceptible to the disease. In the case of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, the hypothesis of a “thrifty genotype” was put forward as a combination of gene alleles that provided their carriers with advantages in the prehistoric and historical past, but provoked morbidity now. Such a genotype should have previously been under the positive selection, whereas in the modern world it may play a negative role. It is also obvious that the expression of the thrifty genotype as well as the genes that form it and their alleles, should depend on anthropological and ecological conditions: the ecology of the region where the human population lives and their traditional subsistence and farming systems.

The aim of the proposed review is to systematize modern views on the problem of thrifty genotype with special attention to the evolutionary anthropological, and ecological aspects of the problem.

Materials and methods. Herein we represent a review of current data regarding the thrifty genotype hypothesis. The paper reviews the main theses of the hypothesis, its basis, and the arguments of supporters and critics. The evolutionary, anthropological, and ecological aspects of the thrifty genotype hypothesis are discussed.

Results. A significant number of experimental studies and reviews give an idea of the distribution of thrifty genotypes in populations of different origins and anthropological affiliations. However, the coverage of material and inclusion of population data in the analysis is uneven. The genetic geography of thrifty genotypes remains poor and, commonly, insufficiently studied. The most complete and methodologically correct systematization of primary materials on the prevalence of thrifty genotypes, their connection with the ecological conditions of the natural environment, and anthropogenic factors, including traditional subsistence and farming systems and the nature of nutrition, remains still relevant.

Conclusion. We consider the integrated ecological approach to be the most promising direction of theoretical research on the problem of “thrifty genotype”. The approach from the standpoint of the concept of “niche construction” removes the seeming contradictions between the main hypotheses considered in our review – the thrifty genotype, the drifty genotype and the thrifty phenotype. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between variations in genes regulating human uncoupling proteins (UCP) and environmental factors. However, information on the intra- and interpopulation diversity of allele and genotype frequencies of UCP1 and UCP3 within the territory of Russia remains insufficient. This study aims to investigate the intra- and inter-ethnic variability of genetic determinants of activity of uncoupling proteins UCP1 and UCP3, and to evaluate genotype-environment associations in the populations residing in the northeastern region of Russia.

Materials and methods. Genotyping was conducted on a total of 1,698 biological specimens collected from individuals representing 22 population groups of European Russia, Siberia, and the Russian Far East. Geographical and climatic data spanning from 1940 to 2023 were gathered for each sample collection locality.

Results and discussion. The spatial distribution of genetic determinants affecting the activity of UCP1 and UCP3 uncoupling proteins demonstrates a correlation with the severity of natural conditions. Three regression models of allele frequencies were constructed using climatic characteristics as predictors. All models are statistically significant (p<0.05 in all cases) and explain 39%, 36%, and 64% of the variability in UCP1 (rs6536991, rs1800592) and UCP3 (rs1800849) allele frequencies, respectively. These correlations revealed by the models confirm the adaptability of UCP genes in the indigenous population groups of Northern Eurasia.

Conclusion. The results of this study are consistent with the assumptions reported in scientific literature and significantly enhance existing knowledge. We observed correlations between allele and genotype frequencies of UCP1 (rs6536991, rs1800592) and UCP3 (rs1800849) genes and geographic latitude, elevation above sea level, as well as climatic indicators such as annual average rainfall, range of surface air temperatures, and the Bodman “weather severity” index. Further investigation involving a larger number of ethnic and territorial groups is necessary to better understand the factors influencing UCP gene variability formation. © 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license