Weaning Behaviour
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Recent papers in Weaning Behaviour
This investigation represents the first extensive application of Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry to ancient dental analysis and paleodietary reconstruction. Enamel strontium composition is examined because it... more
This investigation represents the first extensive application of Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry to ancient dental analysis and paleodietary reconstruction. Enamel strontium composition is examined because it is a reliable hard tissue indicator of diet during enamel formation in childhood.
Here, infant diet and weaning behavior of pre-contact and colonial period Maya from Lamanai, Belize are reconstructed. Weaning is a critical dietary transition that has adaptive significance for later life. Since the strontium-calcium (Sr/Ca) ratio of solid food is high compared to that of breast milk, strontium composition of hard tissues developing before, and after, food supplementation can infer the timing of food introduction and weaning. Known timing of permanent enamel development allows correlation of canine enamel Sr/Ca values with age in childhood, which is facilitated by continuous laser microsampling.
The results indicate that enamel Sr/Ca faithfully records a biogenic signal associated with childhood dietary intake. The total Sr/Ca pattern generally follows the projected model of strontium change, with food supplementation starting at around nine months of age, which increases gradually until there is a substantial surge in food intake at approximately two years of age. Lamanai children continue to nurse afterward, possibly up to five years of age, but it comprises a minor nutritional component.
Significantly, the disadvantaged colonial Maya cohort has a reduced Sr/Ca pattern compared to elite Postclassic Maya, suggesting that colonial children may have exclusively breastfed for longer, delaying the age of food supplementation and weaning. Colonial Maya also exhibit greater Sr/Ca variation, reflecting dietary shifts that can be attributed to poorer nutrition and health. Female economic responsibilities partially account for the differences in colonial childcare practices. Additionally, enamel variation may reflect the different childhood origins (and weaning patterns) of possible migrants at Lamanai. Ultimately, the nature of infant diet and enamel Sr/Ca can be linked to interrelated ecological, political and economic factors.
LA-ICP-MS analysis reveals enamel Sr/Ca to be a sensitive gauge of the prolonged and complex process of weaning and it proves to be an ideal method of capturing the richness of early life history documented in sequentially-formed enamel.
Here, infant diet and weaning behavior of pre-contact and colonial period Maya from Lamanai, Belize are reconstructed. Weaning is a critical dietary transition that has adaptive significance for later life. Since the strontium-calcium (Sr/Ca) ratio of solid food is high compared to that of breast milk, strontium composition of hard tissues developing before, and after, food supplementation can infer the timing of food introduction and weaning. Known timing of permanent enamel development allows correlation of canine enamel Sr/Ca values with age in childhood, which is facilitated by continuous laser microsampling.
The results indicate that enamel Sr/Ca faithfully records a biogenic signal associated with childhood dietary intake. The total Sr/Ca pattern generally follows the projected model of strontium change, with food supplementation starting at around nine months of age, which increases gradually until there is a substantial surge in food intake at approximately two years of age. Lamanai children continue to nurse afterward, possibly up to five years of age, but it comprises a minor nutritional component.
Significantly, the disadvantaged colonial Maya cohort has a reduced Sr/Ca pattern compared to elite Postclassic Maya, suggesting that colonial children may have exclusively breastfed for longer, delaying the age of food supplementation and weaning. Colonial Maya also exhibit greater Sr/Ca variation, reflecting dietary shifts that can be attributed to poorer nutrition and health. Female economic responsibilities partially account for the differences in colonial childcare practices. Additionally, enamel variation may reflect the different childhood origins (and weaning patterns) of possible migrants at Lamanai. Ultimately, the nature of infant diet and enamel Sr/Ca can be linked to interrelated ecological, political and economic factors.
LA-ICP-MS analysis reveals enamel Sr/Ca to be a sensitive gauge of the prolonged and complex process of weaning and it proves to be an ideal method of capturing the richness of early life history documented in sequentially-formed enamel.
Objectives This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The... more
Objectives
This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The results presented are unique for the time period and region, as few cemeteries have been excavated to reveal a demographic cross-section of the population. Studies of weaning among pastoral societies are infrequent and this research adds to our knowledge of the timing, potential supplementary foods, and cessation of breastfeeding practices.
Materials and Methods
Samples were collected from 41 subadults (<15 yrs.) and 27 adults (15+ yrs.). Isotopic reference sets from adult humans as well as faunal remains were utilized, as these form the primary and complementary foods fed to infants.
Results
Slight shifts in δ13C and δ15N values revealed that weaning was a multi-stage process (breastfeeding, weaning, and complete cessation of nursing) that began at six months of age, occurred over several years of early childhood, and was completed by four years of age.
Discussion
Our results indicate that weaning was a multi-stage process that was unique among late prehistoric pastoralist groups in Eurasia that were dependent on milk products as a supplementary food. Our discussion centers on supporting this hypothesis with modern information on central and east Eurasian herding societies including the age at which complementary foods are introduced, the types of complementary foods, and the timing of the cessation of breastfeeding. Integral to this work is the nature of pastoral economies and their dependence on animal products, the impact of complementary foods on nutrition and health, and how milk processing may have affected nutrition content and digestibility of foods. This research on Eurasian pastoralists provides insights into the complexities of weaning among prehistoric pastoral societies as well as the potential for different complementary foods to be incorporated into infant diets in the past.
This paper investigates infant feeding practices through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic analyses of human bone collagen from Kamennyi Ambar 5, a Middle Bronze Age cemetery located in central Eurasia. The results presented are unique for the time period and region, as few cemeteries have been excavated to reveal a demographic cross-section of the population. Studies of weaning among pastoral societies are infrequent and this research adds to our knowledge of the timing, potential supplementary foods, and cessation of breastfeeding practices.
Materials and Methods
Samples were collected from 41 subadults (<15 yrs.) and 27 adults (15+ yrs.). Isotopic reference sets from adult humans as well as faunal remains were utilized, as these form the primary and complementary foods fed to infants.
Results
Slight shifts in δ13C and δ15N values revealed that weaning was a multi-stage process (breastfeeding, weaning, and complete cessation of nursing) that began at six months of age, occurred over several years of early childhood, and was completed by four years of age.
Discussion
Our results indicate that weaning was a multi-stage process that was unique among late prehistoric pastoralist groups in Eurasia that were dependent on milk products as a supplementary food. Our discussion centers on supporting this hypothesis with modern information on central and east Eurasian herding societies including the age at which complementary foods are introduced, the types of complementary foods, and the timing of the cessation of breastfeeding. Integral to this work is the nature of pastoral economies and their dependence on animal products, the impact of complementary foods on nutrition and health, and how milk processing may have affected nutrition content and digestibility of foods. This research on Eurasian pastoralists provides insights into the complexities of weaning among prehistoric pastoral societies as well as the potential for different complementary foods to be incorporated into infant diets in the past.
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