Department of Anthropology, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, 58140, Turkey.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2014 Jan;153(1):45-51. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22401. Epub 2013 Oct 26.
Historically, medical concerns about the deleterious effects of closely inbred marriages have focused on the risk posed by recessive Mendelian disease, with much less attention to developmental instability. We studied the effects of inbreeding (first-cousin marriage) on growth and fluctuating asymmetry of 200 full-term infants (101 inbred and 99 outbred) whose parents were of similar socioeconomic status in Sivas Province, Turkey. In addition to differences in their mean inbreeding coefficients (f = 1/16 for first cousins and f < 1/1,024 for unrelated parents), the consanguineous parents were less well educated (3 years, on average for both husbands and wives). We measured weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference of the newborns, as well as four bilateral traits (ear width, ear length, and second and fourth digit lengths). After taking education into account, none of the measures of size (weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference) and fluctuating asymmetry differed between the inbred and outbred groups. Male children of well-educated parents, however, were larger and had less fluctuating asymmetry. Female children of well-educated parents weighed more than those of less well-educated parents, but were otherwise indistinguishable for height, head circumference, chest circumference, and fluctuating asymmetry. We conclude that inbreeding depression causes neither an increase in fluctuating asymmetry of full-term newborns, nor a decrease in body size. Unmeasured variables correlated with education appear to have an effect on fluctuating asymmetry and size of male children and only a weak effect on size (weight) of female children.
从历史上看，医学对近亲婚姻有害影响的关注主要集中在隐性孟德尔疾病的风险上，而对发育不稳定性的关注较少。我们研究了近亲婚姻（表亲婚姻）对 200 名足月婴儿（101 名近亲，99 名远亲）的生长和波动不对称的影响，这些婴儿的父母在土耳其锡瓦斯省具有相似的社会经济地位。除了他们的平均近亲系数（表亲为 1/16，无血缘关系的父母为 f<1/1024）不同外，近亲父母的教育程度较低（平均为丈夫和妻子各 3 年）。我们测量了新生儿的体重、身高、头围和胸围，以及四个双侧特征（耳宽、耳长、第二和第四指长度）。在考虑教育因素后，大小（体重、身高、头围和胸围）和波动不对称的测量值在近亲组和远亲组之间没有差异。然而，受过良好教育的父母的男婴较大，波动不对称较小。受过良好教育的父母的女婴比受教育程度较低的父母的女婴体重更重，但在身高、头围、胸围和波动不对称方面没有区别。我们的结论是，近亲繁殖既不会导致足月新生儿的波动不对称增加，也不会导致体型减小。与教育相关的未测量变量似乎对男婴的波动不对称和体型有影响，而对女婴的体型（体重）只有微弱影响。
