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Louca P, Murray B, Klaser K, Graham MS, Mazidi M, Leeming ER, Thompson E, Bowyer R, Drew DA, Nguyen LH, Merino J, Gomez M, Mompeo O, Costeira R, Sudre CH, Gibson R, Steves CJ, Wolf J, Franks PW, Ourselin S, Chan AT, Berry SE, Valdes AM, Calder PC, Spector TD, Menni C. Modest effects of dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from 445 850 users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app. BMJ Nutr Prev Health 2021; 4:149-157. [PMID: 34308122 PMCID: PMC8061565 DOI: 10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Dietary supplements may ameliorate SARS-CoV-2 infection, although scientific evidence to support such a role is lacking. We investigated whether users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app who regularly took dietary supplements were less likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. DESIGN App-based community survey. SETTING 445 850 subscribers of an app that was launched to enable self-reported information related to SARS-CoV-2 infection for use in the general population in the UK (n=372 720), the USA (n=45 757) and Sweden (n=27 373). MAIN EXPOSURE Self-reported regular dietary supplement usage (constant use during previous 3 months) in the first waves of the pandemic up to 31 July 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by viral RNA reverse transcriptase PCR test or serology test before 31 July 2020. RESULTS In 372 720 UK participants (175 652 supplement users and 197 068 non-users), those taking probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins or vitamin D had a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection by 14% (95% CI (8% to 19%)), 12% (95% CI (8% to 16%)), 13% (95% CI (10% to 16%)) and 9% (95% CI (6% to 12%)), respectively, after adjusting for potential confounders. No effect was observed for those taking vitamin C, zinc or garlic supplements. On stratification by sex, age and body mass index (BMI), the protective associations in individuals taking probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins and vitamin D were observed in females across all ages and BMI groups, but were not seen in men. The same overall pattern of association was observed in both the US and Swedish cohorts. CONCLUSION In women, we observed a modest but significant association between use of probiotics, omega-3 fatty acid, multivitamin or vitamin D supplements and lower risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. We found no clear benefits for men nor any effect of vitamin C, garlic or zinc. Randomised controlled trials are required to confirm these observational findings before any therapeutic recommendations can be made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayiotis Louca
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Benjamin Murray
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kerstin Klaser
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Mark S Graham
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Mohsen Mazidi
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emily R Leeming
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ellen Thompson
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ruth Bowyer
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - David A Drew
- Clinical & Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Long H Nguyen
- Clinical & Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jordi Merino
- Clinical & Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maria Gomez
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Olatz Mompeo
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ricardo Costeira
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Carole H Sudre
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel Gibson
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire J Steves
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Paul W Franks
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Sebastien Ourselin
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew T Chan
- Clinical & Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah E Berry
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ana M Valdes
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
- Division of Rheumatology, Orthopaedics and Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK
| | - Philip C Calder
- Human Development & Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Cristina Menni
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK
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Abstract
STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study of male and female spinal osteoarthritis, characterized by lateral spine thoracolumbar radiographs, in humans and nonhuman primates. OBJECTIVE To characterize differences in prevalence and vertebral distribution of spinal osteoarthritis between men and women, between male and female macaques, and between the 2 phylogenetically related genera. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Naturally occurring spinal osteoarthritis manifests similarly in humans and rhesus macaques. Other types of osteoarthritis particularly of the knee and hip have revealed sex differences in humans. In regard to spinal osteoarthritis, sex differences have been noted but without consistent results. Sex differences in macaques have not been examined. METHODS Radiographical evidence of disc space narrowing and osteophytosis was assessed using an atlas-scoring method. Prevalence was determined according to sex, age, body mass (for macaques only), and spinal location (human T4-L5; macaque T8-L7). RESULTS Average scores in macaques differed between the sexes, but they did not differ between men and women. The pattern of involvement along the spine was the same in male and female monkeys but differed between men and women: women had more thoracic involvement and men had more lumbar involvement. Overall, monkeys had a significantly higher prevalence of osteoarthritis than humans. CONCLUSION The appearance of sex differences in the prevalence of osteoarthritis is most likely a proxy measure for the effect of body mass. Sex differences were apparent in monkeys due to the fact that males are significantly heavier than females. No sex difference in prevalence was apparent in humans, and there is substantial overlap in body mass between men and women. Differences in the location of osteoarthritic involvement along the spine between men and women were obscured when only average scores were examined.
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Gustafsson A, Lindenfors P. Human size evolution: no evolutionary allometric relationship between male and female stature. J Hum Evol 2005; 47:253-66. [PMID: 15454336 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2004] [Accepted: 07/29/2004] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In many animal groups, sexual size dimorphism tends to be more pronounced in species with large body size. Similarly, in a previous cross-cultural analysis, male and female stature in humans were shown to be positively allometrically related, indicating a similar relationship where populations with larger stature were more dimorphic. In this study, we re-examine the hypothesis of an allometric relationship between the sexes using phylogenetic methodology. First, however, we tested whether there exist phylogenetic signals in male and female stature. Data on mean stature from 124 human populations was gathered from the literature. A phylogenetic test showed that male and female stature were significantly associated with phylogeny. These results indicate that comparative methods that to some degree incorporate genetic relatedness between populations are crucial when analyzing human size evolution in a cross-cultural context. Further, neither non-phylogenetic nor phylogenetic analyses revealed any allometric relationship between male and female stature. Thus, we found no support for the idea that sexual dimorphism increases with increasing stature in humans.
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Delph LF, Gehring JL, Frey FM, Arntz AM, Levri M. GENETIC CONSTRAINTS ON FLORAL EVOLUTION IN A SEXUALLY DIMORPHIC PLANT REVEALED BY ARTIFICIAL SELECTION. Evolution 2004; 58:1936-46. [PMID: 15521453 DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2004.tb00481.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is one of the most widespread and recognizable patterns of phenotypic variation in the biotic world. Sexual dimorphism in floral display is striking in the dioecious plant Silene latifolia, with males making many, small flowers compared to females. We investigated this dimorphism via artificial selection on two populations to determine whether genetic variation exists within populations for flower size and the extent of the between-sex correlation, whether a flower size and number trade-off exists within each sex, and whether pollen and ovule production vary with flower size. We selected for decreased flower size (calyx width) in females and increased flower size in males and measured the response to selection in size and correlated responses in flower dry mass, flower number, and pollen or ovule number per flower. Four bouts of selection in each of two selection programs were performed, for a total of three selection lines to decrease size, three to increase it, and two control lines. Flower size always significantly responded to selection and we always found a significant correlated response in the sex not under selection. Selection decreased but did not eliminate the sexual dimorphism in flower dry mass and number. A negative relationship between flower size and number within each sex was revealed. Whereas ovule number showed a significant correlated response to selection on flower size, pollen number did not. Our results indicate that although substantial additive genetic variation for flower size exists, the high between-sex genetic correlation would likely constrain flower size from becoming more sexually dimorphic. Furthermore, floral display within each sex is constrained by a flower size and number trade-off. Given this trade-off and lack of variation in pollen production with flower size, we suggest that sexual dimorphism evolved via sexual selection to increase flower number in males but not females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynda F Delph
- Department of Biology, Jordan Hall, 1001 East Third Street, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
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Badyaev AV, Hill GE, Whittingham LA. The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the house finch. IV. Population divergence in ontogeny. Evolution 2001; 55:2534-49. [PMID: 11831668 DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00767.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Differences among taxa in sexual size dimorphism of adults can be produced by changes in distinct developmental processes and thus may reflect different evolutionary histories. Here we examine whether divergence in sexual dimorphism of adults between recently established Montana and Alabama populations of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) can be attributed to population differences in growth of males and females. In both populations, males and females were similar at hatching, but as a result of sex-specific growth attained sexual size dimorphism by the time of independence. Timing and extent of growth varied between the sexes: Females maintained maximum rates of growth for a longer time than males, whereas males had higher initial growth rates and achieved maximum growth earlier and at smaller sizes than females. Ontogeny of sexual dimorphism differed between populations, but in each population, sexual dimorphism in growth parameters and sexual dimorphism at the time of nest leaving were similar to sexual dimorphism of adults. Variation in growth of females contributed more to population divergence than did growth of males. In each population, we found close correspondence between patterns of sexual dimorphism in growth and population divergence in morphology of adults: Traits that were the most sexually dimorphic in growth in each population contributed the most to population divergence in both sexes. We suggest that sex-specific expression of phenotypic and genetic variation throughout the ontogeny of house finches can result in different responses to selection between males and females of the same age, and thus produce fast population divergence in the sexual size dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Badyaev
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula 59812-1002, USA.
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Badyaev AV, Whittingham LA, Hill GE. The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the house finch. III. Developmental basis. Evolution 2001; 55:176-89. [PMID: 11263737 DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb01282.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sexual size dimorphism of adults proximately results from a combination of sexually dimorphic growth patterns and selection on growing individuals. Yet, most studies of the evolution of dimorphism have focused on correlates of only adult morphologies. Here we examined the ontogeny of sexual size dimorphism in an isolated population of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). Sexes differed in growth rates and growth duration; in most traits, females grew faster than males, but males grew for a longer period. Sexual dimorphism in bill traits (bill length, width, depth) and in body traits (wing, tarsus, and tail length; mass) developed during different periods of ontogeny. Growth of bill traits was most different between sexes during the juvenile period (after leaving the nest), whereas growth of body traits was most sexually dimorphic during the first few days after hatching. Postgrowth selection on juveniles strongly influenced sexual dimorphism in all traits; in some traits, this selection canceled or reversed dimorphism patterns produced by growth differences between sexes. The net result was that adult sexual dimorphism, to a large degree, was an outcome of selection for survival during juvenile stages. We suggest that previously documented fast and extensive divergence of house finch populations in sexual size dimorphism may be partially produced by distinct environmental conditions during growth in these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Badyaev
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula 59812-1002, USA.
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Badyaev AV, Hill GE, Stoehr AM, Nolan PM, McGraw KJ. The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the house finch. II. Population divergence in relation to local selection. Evolution 2000; 54:2134-44. [PMID: 11209788 DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2000.tb01255.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Recent colonization of ecologically distinct areas in North America by the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) was accompanied by strong population divergence in sexual size dimorphism. Here we examined whether this divergence was produced by population differences in local selection pressures acting on each sex. In a long-term study of recently established populations in Alabama, Michigan, and Montana, we examined three selection episodes for each sex: selection for pairing success, overwinter survival, and within-season fecundity. Populations varied in intensity of these selection episodes, the contribution of each episode to the net selection, and in the targets of selection. Direction and intensity of selection strongly differed between sexes, and different selection episodes often favored opposite changes in morphological traits. In each population, current net selection for sexual dimorphism was highly concordant with observed sexual dimorphism--in each population, selection for dimorphism was the strongest on the most dimorphic traits. Strong directional selection on sexually dimorphic traits, and similar intensities of selection in both sexes, suggest that in each of the recently established populations, both males and females are far from their local fitness optimum, and that sexual dimorphism has arisen from adaptive responses in both sexes. Population differences in patterns of selection on dimorphism, combined with both low levels of ontogenetic integration in heritable sexually dimorphic traits and sexual dimorphism in growth patterns, may account for the close correspondence between dimorphism in selection and observed dimorphism in morphology across house finch populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Badyaev
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula 59812-1002, USA.
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Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is thought to have evolved in response to selection pressures that differ between males and females. Our aim in this study was to determine the role of current net selection in shaping and maintaining contemporary sexual dimorphism in a recently established population of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) in Montana. We found strong differences between sexes in direction of selection on sexually dimorphic traits, significant heritabilities of these traits, and a close congruence between current selection and observed sexual dimorphism in Montana house finches. Strong directional selection on sexually dimorphic traits and similar intensities of selection in each sex suggested that sexual dimorphism arises from adaptive responses in males and females, with both sexes being far from their local fitness optimum. This pattern is expected when a recently established population experiences continuous immigration from ecologically distinct areas of a species range or as a result of widely fluctuating selection pressures, as found in our study. Strong and sexually dimorphic selection pressures on heritable morphological traits, in combination with low phenotypic and genetic covariation among these traits during growth, may have accounted for close congruence between current selection and observed sexual dimorphism in the house finch. This conclusion is consistent with the profound adaptive population divergence in sexual dimorphism that accompanied very successful colonization of most of the North America by the house finch over the last 50 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Badyaev
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, 59812-1002, USA
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