A growth study of Japanese descendants from Sao Paulo, Brazil

We describe the growth pattern of a sample of Japanese descendants born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Cross-sectional data from 1297 subjects were obtained in eight middle- and upper middle-class schools. Weight and height of children of Japanese ancestry were compared both to populations of similar socio-economic status, namely the well-off European descendants born in Sao Paulo and the United States, and to populations of similar genetic background from Japan and urban China. Adult size is smaller in Brazilians of Japanese ancestry than in the samples of European ancestry. We show that the Brazilian-born Japanese descendants do not display any growth deficits during the preadolescent period but fall short of the US growth standard afterwards, suggesting that the adolescent growth spurt is responsible for their smaller body size at adulthood. The observed height deficit is more pronounced than the weight deficit in both boys and girls. On the other hand, when comparisons include only populations of Asian origin, the Japanese descendants from Sao Paulo are shown to be similar in height and weight to the better-off children living in Japan, and significantly larger than the urban Chinese children of relatively lower socio-economic status.