Children who eat more bread show a more advanced bone age than those who eat less, according to the study developed by Juan Miguel Tristán Fernández in the Laboratory of Physical Anthropology of the Universidad de Granada, where they have tried to validate the radiological methods available to assess bone development level on children.
In order to determine the reliability of these methods and their correspondence with the present situation (as the most usual were developed in the fifties), they have collected radiological, medical and socio-demographical data of 100 children of the North area of Granada and have confirmed that, at present, the most appropriate system for the Spanish reality is the American which, according to Tristán Fernández, shows that “Spanish children have more affinities with the American possibly due to old genetic reminiscences”.
The food consumed by the child is not the only responsible for his growth. Both nutritional and socio-cultural habits of expectant mothers can influence their bone maturing. In the same way, it has been proved that children with more advanced bone age match with parents with a higher socio-cultural level. Although as regards these aspects the researcher from Granada points out that, as they have carried out a transversal study, “they can only determine the existence of association and not a cause and effect relationship, which will be the object of subsequent research works”.
Growth problems
But the importance of this doctoral thesis, which started to be developed in 2001 under the title “Influence of different health and socio-demographical factors on the skeletal and anthropometric development” lies in the fact that, for the first time, they have managed to validate an assessment method for bone growth as the closest to the Spanish reality, something that will allow in future that both professionals and sanitary centres unify their criteria to determine with total reliability if a child is suffering growth problems.
At the same time, the analysis of these methods is essential from the perspective of Forensic Anthropology because, as the author of the work points out, “this way he will be able to assess with security, for example, the age of immigrant children where age determination has repercussions on the legal treatment of the individuals”.
A method based on Spanish children
As regards the possibility of developing a method based on Spanish children and present reality in future, the scientist says that this is the big challenge experts are dealing with now, although up to now it is very difficult to carry out, particularly due to a question of time: «In order to develop a table hundred per cent in keeping with the characteristics of current society it is necessary to carry out a un monitoring since the child is born until the age of 16-18. In this interval of time, they have to carry our continuous radiological examinations to check the development of their growth in different stages.
Besides this, the population sample must be about 3,000 people, something that requires work and a lot of patience besides time.
Reference
Prof Juan Miguel Tristán Fernández. Laboratory of Physical Anthropology
Tel. 958 243 500. E-mail. jtristan@ugr.es
Prof Miguel Botella López. Thesis Supervisor. Laboratory of Physic Anthropology
Tel. 958 243 535. E-mail. mbotella@ugr.es
