Evidence for height and immune function trade-offs among preadolescents in a high pathogen population.
Angela R GarcíaAaron D BlackwellBenjamin C TrumbleJonathan StieglitzHillard KaplanMichael D GurvenPublished in: Evolution, medicine, and public health (2020)
Adaptive immune function is negatively associated with child height in this high pathogen environment. Further, low weight-for-height children are shorter but maintain similar immune levels. Findings question the relevance of height as a universal health marker, given that costs and benefits of height versus immunity may be calibrated to local ecology.