Digit ratio (2D:4D) and handgrip strength in subjects of Han ethnicity: Impact of sex and age

The ratio of the length of the second finger to the fourth finger (2D:4D) is considered to be a putative proxy of prenatal exposure to testosterone, and has been increasingly used as a promising tool to evaluate the impact of prenatal androgenization in humans in such traits as physical performance....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physical anthropology 2012-10, Vol.149 (2), p.266-271
Main Authors: Zhao, Dapeng, Li, Baoguo, Yu, Keli, Zheng, Lianbin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
2D:4D
Adult
Age Factors
Case studies
China
Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data
Ethnology
Female
Fingers - anatomy & histology
Han ethnicity
Hand Strength
handgrip strength
Hormones
Human ecology, environment
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Morphological source materials
Mountains
Physical anthropology
Physical anthropology, ethnobiology
Sex Characteristics
Sex differentiation
sexual dimorphism
Statistics, Nonparametric
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Summary:The ratio of the length of the second finger to the fourth finger (2D:4D) is considered to be a putative proxy of prenatal exposure to testosterone, and has been increasingly used as a promising tool to evaluate the impact of prenatal androgenization in humans in such traits as physical performance. In this study, for the first time, we present 2D:4D data on adult participants of Han ethnicity. We consider the sexual dimorphism of 2D:4D and handgrip strength, and also report the relationship between 2D:4D and handgrip strength of males and females. The sample consisted of 54 males and 55 females recruited from a remote village in the Qinling Mountains, China. We found sexual dimorphism of both 2D:4D and handgrip strength, i.e., males had lower 2D:4D and right‐left 2D:4D than females and greater handgrip strength than females. There was a sex‐specific correlation between 2D:4D and handgrip strength, i.e., 2D:4D in the right hand was negatively correlated with handgrip strength in males but not in females. This relationship may be driven by sexual selection operating on fetal programming. Am J Phys Anthropol 149:266–271, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ISSN:0002-9483
1096-8644
2692-7691
DOI:10.1002/ajpa.22130