Regional differences in the physique of Japanese children: Investigating the influence of seasonal variations in effective day length.

Abstract

In the physique of Japanese children may arise from photoperiodic responses. This study aimed to investigate whether the geographical distribution of height and weight in Japanese pre-adolescent children (aged 13 years) can be explained by seasonal variations in effective day length (defined as the duration of daylight with an illuminance of 5000 lX or more). Using the average height and weight of 13-year-old boys and girls in 1993, 2007, and 2020 by prefecture as response variables, and the variation in monthly averages of effective day length over the past 13 years by prefecture as explanatory variables, we conducted a Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression analysis. The regional differences in height and weight were associated with two components of effective day length that exhibited seasonal fluctuations. The scores and loading vectors of these components suggested that, in both summer and winter, short days led to height gain and inhibited weight gain through activation of thyroid hormone-like activity, whereas long days inhibited height gain, promoted weight gain, and induced suppression of thyroid hormone-like activity. The results suggested that the short days of winter particularly contribute to height growth, while the long days of summer are more likely to contribute to weight gain.