Body height affects the strength of immune response in young men, but not young women

Krams, I. A., Skrinda, I., Kecko, S., Moore, F. R., Krama, T., Kaasik, A., Meija, L., Lietuvietis, V. and Rantala, M. J. (2014) Body height affects the strength of immune response in young men, but not young women. Scientific Reports, 4, 6223. (doi: 10.1038/srep06223) (PMID:25164474) (PMCID:PMC5385821)

Abstract

Body height and other body attributes of humans may be associated with a diverse range of social outcomes such as attractiveness to potential mates. Despite evidence that each parameter plays a role in mate choice, we have little understanding of the relative role of each, and relationships between indices of physical appearance and general health. In this study we tested relationships between immune function and body height of young men and women. In men, we report a non-linear relationship between antibody response to a hepatitis-B vaccine and body height, with a positive relationship up to a height of 185 cm, but an inverse relationship in taller men. We did not find any significant relationship between body height and immune function in women. Our results demonstrate the potential of vaccination research to reveal costly traits that govern evolution of mate choice in humans and the importance of trade-offs among these traits.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Moore, Fhionna
• Authors: Krams, I. A., Skrinda, I., Kecko, S., Moore, F. R., Krama, T., Kaasik, A., Meija, L., Lietuvietis, V., and Rantala, M. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Journal Name: Scientific Reports
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• ISSN (Online): 2045-2322
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Scientific Reports 4(1):6223
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License