Microscopic markers of an infradian biorhythm in human juvenile ribs

Recent studies have indicated that there may be an infradian systemic biorhythm that coordinates aspects of human hard tissue growth and influences adult body size. Here we investigate if evidence of this biorhythm retained in human teeth as the periodicity of Retzius lines (RP) corresponds with the microstructural growth of a non-weight bearing bone, the rib, in a sample of 50 human juvenile skeletons. Using static histomorphometric methods, the RP of one permanent tooth from each skeleton was calculated and combined with measures of bone remodeling in a rib from the same individual. Results provide the first evidence that the infradian biorhythm is linked to bone remodeling in children. Retzius periodicity was negatively correlated with relative osteon area (r = −0.563, p = 0.008) and positively related to Haversian canal area (r = 0.635, p = 0.002) and diameter (r = 0.671, p = 0.001) in children between the age of 8 to 12 years. There was also a negative correlation between RP and the relative cortical area of ribs (r = −0.500, p = 0.048). Relationships between bone remodeling and the biorhythm were much more variable in younger children. Results imply that as the biorhythm speeds up there is increased bone deposition during remodeling of the rib, leading to the larger osteonal lamellar bone areas and smaller Haversian canals in children between 8 and 12 years of age. Our results support the idea that there is an infradian biorhythm that coordinates aspects of human hard tissue growth.