Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region: an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts

Karri Silventoinen; Aline Jelenkovic; Reijo Sund; Yoshie Yokoyama; Yoon-Mi Hur; Wendy Cozen; Amie E Hwang; Thomas M Mack; Chika Honda; Fujio Inui; Yoshinori Iwatani; Mikio Watanabe; Rie Tomizawa; Kirsi H Pietiläinen; Aila Rissanen; Sisira H Siribaddana; Matthew Hotopf; Athula Sumathipala; Fruhling Rijsdijk; Qihua Tan; Dongfeng Zhang; Zengchang Pang; Maarit Piirtola; Sari Aaltonen; Sevgi Y Öncel; Fazil Aliev; Esther Rebato; Jacob B Hjelmborg; Kaare Christensen; Axel Skytthe; Kirsten O Kyvik; Judy L Silberg; Lindon J Eaves; Tessa L Cutler; Juan R Ordoñana; Juan F Sánchez-Romera; Lucia Colodro-Conde; Yun-Mi Song; Sarah Yang; Kayoung Lee; Carol E Franz; William S Kremen; Michael J Lyons; Andreas Busjahn; Tracy L Nelson; Keith E Whitfield; Christian Kandler; Kerry L Jang; Margaret Gatz; David A Butler; Maria A Stazi; Corrado Fagnani; Cristina D'Ippolito; Glen E Duncan; Dedra Buchwald; Nicholas G Martin; Sarah E Medland; Grant W Montgomery; Hoe-Uk Jeong; Gary E Swan; Ruth Krasnow; Patrik Ke Magnusson; Nancy L Pedersen; Anna K Dahl Aslan; Tom A McAdams; Thalia C Eley; Alice M Gregory; Per Tynelius; Laura A Baker; Catherine Tuvblad; Gombojav Bayasgalan; Danshiitsoodol Narandalai; Timothy D Spector; Massimo Mangino; Genevieve Lachance; S Alexandra Burt; Kelly L Klump; Jennifer R Harris; Ingunn Brandt; Thomas S Nilsen; Robert F Krueger; Matt McGue; Shandell Pahlen; Robin P Corley; Brooke M Huibregtse; Meike Bartels; Catharina Em van Beijsterveldt; Gonneke Willemsen; Jack H Goldberg; Finn Rasmussen; Adam D Tarnoki; David L Tarnoki; Catherine A Derom; Robert F Vlietinck; Ruth Jf Loos; John L Hopper; Joohon Sung; Hermine H Maes; Eric Turkheimer; Dorret I Boomsma; Thorkild Ia Sørensen; Jaakko Kaprio

doi:10.3945/ajcn.117.153643

Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region: an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts

Karri Silventoinen, Aline Jelenkovic, Reijo Sund, Yoshie Yokoyama, Yoon-Mi Hur, Wendy Cozen, Amie E Hwang, Thomas M Mack, Chika Honda, Fujio Inui, Yoshinori Iwatani, Mikio Watanabe, Rie Tomizawa, Kirsi H Pietiläinen, Aila Rissanen, Sisira H Siribaddana, Matthew Hotopf, Athula Sumathipala, Fruhling Rijsdijk, Qihua TanDongfeng Zhang, Zengchang Pang, Maarit Piirtola, Sari Aaltonen, Sevgi Y Öncel, Fazil Aliev, Esther Rebato, Jacob B Hjelmborg, Kaare Christensen, Axel Skytthe, Kirsten O Kyvik, Judy L Silberg, Lindon J Eaves, Tessa L Cutler, Juan R Ordoñana, Juan F Sánchez-Romera, Lucia Colodro-Conde, Yun-Mi Song, Sarah Yang, Kayoung Lee, Carol E Franz, William S Kremen, Michael J Lyons, Andreas Busjahn, Tracy L Nelson, Keith E Whitfield, Christian Kandler, Kerry L Jang, Margaret Gatz, David A Butler, Maria A Stazi, Corrado Fagnani, Cristina D'Ippolito, Glen E Duncan, Dedra Buchwald, Nicholas G Martin, Sarah E Medland, Grant W Montgomery, Hoe-Uk Jeong, Gary E Swan, Ruth Krasnow, Patrik Ke Magnusson, Nancy L Pedersen, Anna K Dahl Aslan, Tom A McAdams, Thalia C Eley, Alice M Gregory, Per Tynelius, Laura A Baker, Catherine Tuvblad, Gombojav Bayasgalan, Danshiitsoodol Narandalai, Timothy D Spector, Massimo Mangino, Genevieve Lachance, S Alexandra Burt, Kelly L Klump, Jennifer R Harris, Ingunn Brandt, Thomas S Nilsen, Robert F Krueger, Matt McGue, Shandell Pahlen, Robin P Corley, Brooke M Huibregtse, Meike Bartels, Catharina Em van Beijsterveldt, Gonneke Willemsen, Jack H Goldberg, Finn Rasmussen, Adam D Tarnoki, David L Tarnoki, Catherine A Derom, Robert F Vlietinck, Ruth Jf Loos, John L Hopper, Joohon Sung, Hermine H Maes, Eric Turkheimer, Dorret I Boomsma, Thorkild Ia Sørensen, Jaakko Kaprio

Department of Public Health

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Genes and the environment contribute to variation in adult body mass index [BMI (in kg/m(2))], but factors modifying these variance components are poorly understood.Objective: We analyzed genetic and environmental variation in BMI between men and women from young adulthood to old age from the 1940s to the 2000s and between cultural-geographic regions representing high (North America and Australia), moderate (Europe), and low (East Asia) prevalence of obesity.Design: We used genetic structural equation modeling to analyze BMI in twins ≥20 y of age from 40 cohorts representing 20 countries (140,379 complete twin pairs).Results: The heritability of BMI decreased from 0.77 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.78) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.75) in men and women 20-29 y of age to 0.57 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.60) and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.65) in men 70-79 y of age and women 80 y of age, respectively. The relative influence of unique environmental factors correspondingly increased. Differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from 20-29 to 60-69 y of age. Mean BMI and variances in BMI increased from the 1940s to the 2000s and were greatest in North America and Australia, followed by Europe and East Asia. However, heritability estimates were largely similar over measurement years and between regions. There was no evidence of environmental factors shared by co-twins affecting BMI.Conclusions: The heritability of BMI decreased and differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from young adulthood to old age. The heritability of BMI was largely similar between cultural-geographic regions and measurement years, despite large differences in mean BMI and variances in BMI. Our results show a strong influence of genetic factors on BMI, especially in early adulthood, regardless of the obesity level in the population.

Original language	English
Journal	The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume	106
Issue number	2
Pages (from-to)	457-466
Number of pages	10
ISSN	0002-9165
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.117.153643
Publication status	Published - 1 Aug 2017

Keywords

Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Australia
Body Mass Index
Body Weight
Culture
Environment
Europe
Female
Gene-Environment Interaction
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
North America
Obesity
Prevalence
Quantitative Trait, Heritable
Sex Factors
Twins, Dizygotic
Twins, Monozygotic
Young Adult
Journal Article
Twin Study

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Silventoinen, K., Jelenkovic, A., Sund, R., Yokoyama, Y., Hur, Y-M., Cozen, W., Hwang, A. E., Mack, T. M., Honda, C., Inui, F., Iwatani, Y., Watanabe, M., Tomizawa, R., Pietiläinen, K. H., Rissanen, A., Siribaddana, S. H., Hotopf, M., Sumathipala, A., Rijsdijk, F., ... Kaprio, J. (2017). Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region: an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 106(2), 457-466. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.117.153643

Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region : an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts. / Silventoinen, Karri; Jelenkovic, Aline; Sund, Reijo et al.

In: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 106, No. 2, 01.08.2017, p. 457-466.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Silventoinen, K, Jelenkovic, A, Sund, R, Yokoyama, Y, Hur, Y-M, Cozen, W, Hwang, AE, Mack, TM, Honda, C, Inui, F, Iwatani, Y, Watanabe, M, Tomizawa, R, Pietiläinen, KH, Rissanen, A, Siribaddana, SH, Hotopf, M, Sumathipala, A, Rijsdijk, F, Tan, Q, Zhang, D, Pang, Z, Piirtola, M, Aaltonen, S, Öncel, SY, Aliev, F, Rebato, E, Hjelmborg, JB, Christensen, K, Skytthe, A, Kyvik, KO, Silberg, JL, Eaves, LJ, Cutler, TL, Ordoñana, JR, Sánchez-Romera, JF, Colodro-Conde, L, Song, Y-M, Yang, S, Lee, K, Franz, CE, Kremen, WS, Lyons, MJ, Busjahn, A, Nelson, TL, Whitfield, KE, Kandler, C, Jang, KL, Gatz, M, Butler, DA, Stazi, MA, Fagnani, C, D'Ippolito, C, Duncan, GE, Buchwald, D, Martin, NG, Medland, SE, Montgomery, GW, Jeong, H-U, Swan, GE, Krasnow, R, Magnusson, PK, Pedersen, NL, Dahl Aslan, AK, McAdams, TA, Eley, TC, Gregory, AM, Tynelius, P, Baker, LA, Tuvblad, C, Bayasgalan, G, Narandalai, D, Spector, TD, Mangino, M, Lachance, G, Burt, SA, Klump, KL, Harris, JR, Brandt, I, Nilsen, TS, Krueger, RF, McGue, M, Pahlen, S, Corley, RP, Huibregtse, BM, Bartels, M, van Beijsterveldt, CE, Willemsen, G, Goldberg, JH, Rasmussen, F, Tarnoki, AD, Tarnoki, DL, Derom, CA, Vlietinck, RF, Loos, RJ, Hopper, JL, Sung, J, Maes, HH, Turkheimer, E, Boomsma, DI, Sørensen, TI & Kaprio, J 2017, 'Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region: an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts', The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 106, no. 2, pp. 457-466. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.117.153643

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title = "Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region: an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts",

abstract = "Background: Genes and the environment contribute to variation in adult body mass index [BMI (in kg/m(2))], but factors modifying these variance components are poorly understood.Objective: We analyzed genetic and environmental variation in BMI between men and women from young adulthood to old age from the 1940s to the 2000s and between cultural-geographic regions representing high (North America and Australia), moderate (Europe), and low (East Asia) prevalence of obesity.Design: We used genetic structural equation modeling to analyze BMI in twins ≥20 y of age from 40 cohorts representing 20 countries (140,379 complete twin pairs).Results: The heritability of BMI decreased from 0.77 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.78) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.75) in men and women 20-29 y of age to 0.57 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.60) and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.65) in men 70-79 y of age and women 80 y of age, respectively. The relative influence of unique environmental factors correspondingly increased. Differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from 20-29 to 60-69 y of age. Mean BMI and variances in BMI increased from the 1940s to the 2000s and were greatest in North America and Australia, followed by Europe and East Asia. However, heritability estimates were largely similar over measurement years and between regions. There was no evidence of environmental factors shared by co-twins affecting BMI.Conclusions: The heritability of BMI decreased and differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from young adulthood to old age. The heritability of BMI was largely similar between cultural-geographic regions and measurement years, despite large differences in mean BMI and variances in BMI. Our results show a strong influence of genetic factors on BMI, especially in early adulthood, regardless of the obesity level in the population.",

keywords = "Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Australia, Body Mass Index, Body Weight, Culture, Environment, Europe, Female, Gene-Environment Interaction, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, North America, Obesity, Prevalence, Quantitative Trait, Heritable, Sex Factors, Twins, Dizygotic, Twins, Monozygotic, Young Adult, Journal Article, Twin Study",

author = "Karri Silventoinen and Aline Jelenkovic and Reijo Sund and Yoshie Yokoyama and Yoon-Mi Hur and Wendy Cozen and Hwang, {Amie E} and Mack, {Thomas M} and Chika Honda and Fujio Inui and Yoshinori Iwatani and Mikio Watanabe and Rie Tomizawa and Pietil{\"a}inen, {Kirsi H} and Aila Rissanen and Siribaddana, {Sisira H} and Matthew Hotopf and Athula Sumathipala and Fruhling Rijsdijk and Qihua Tan and Dongfeng Zhang and Zengchang Pang and Maarit Piirtola and Sari Aaltonen and {\"O}ncel, {Sevgi Y} and Fazil Aliev and Esther Rebato and Hjelmborg, {Jacob B} and Kaare Christensen and Axel Skytthe and Kyvik, {Kirsten O} and Silberg, {Judy L} and Eaves, {Lindon J} and Cutler, {Tessa L} and Ordo{\~n}ana, {Juan R} and S{\'a}nchez-Romera, {Juan F} and Lucia Colodro-Conde and Yun-Mi Song and Sarah Yang and Kayoung Lee and Franz, {Carol E} and Kremen, {William S} and Lyons, {Michael J} and Andreas Busjahn and Nelson, {Tracy L} and Whitfield, {Keith E} and Christian Kandler and Jang, {Kerry L} and Margaret Gatz and Butler, {David A} and Stazi, {Maria A} and Corrado Fagnani and Cristina D'Ippolito and Duncan, {Glen E} and Dedra Buchwald and Martin, {Nicholas G} and Medland, {Sarah E} and Montgomery, {Grant W} and Hoe-Uk Jeong and Swan, {Gary E} and Ruth Krasnow and Magnusson, {Patrik Ke} and Pedersen, {Nancy L} and {Dahl Aslan}, {Anna K} and McAdams, {Tom A} and Eley, {Thalia C} and Gregory, {Alice M} and Per Tynelius and Baker, {Laura A} and Catherine Tuvblad and Gombojav Bayasgalan and Danshiitsoodol Narandalai and Spector, {Timothy D} and Massimo Mangino and Genevieve Lachance and Burt, {S Alexandra} and Klump, {Kelly L} and Harris, {Jennifer R} and Ingunn Brandt and Nilsen, {Thomas S} and Krueger, {Robert F} and Matt McGue and Shandell Pahlen and Corley, {Robin P} and Huibregtse, {Brooke M} and Meike Bartels and {van Beijsterveldt}, {Catharina Em} and Gonneke Willemsen and Goldberg, {Jack H} and Finn Rasmussen and Tarnoki, {Adam D} and Tarnoki, {David L} and Derom, {Catherine A} and Vlietinck, {Robert F} and Loos, {Ruth Jf} and Hopper, {John L} and Joohon Sung and Maes, {Hermine H} and Eric Turkheimer and Boomsma, {Dorret I} and S{\o}rensen, {Thorkild Ia} and Jaakko Kaprio",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2017 American Society for Nutrition.",

year = "2017",

month = aug,

day = "1",

doi = "10.3945/ajcn.117.153643",

language = "English",

volume = "106",

pages = "457--466",

journal = "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition",

issn = "0002-9165",

publisher = "American Society for Nutrition",

number = "2",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region

T2 - an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts

AU - Silventoinen, Karri

AU - Jelenkovic, Aline

AU - Sund, Reijo

AU - Yokoyama, Yoshie

AU - Hur, Yoon-Mi

AU - Cozen, Wendy

AU - Hwang, Amie E

AU - Mack, Thomas M

AU - Honda, Chika

AU - Inui, Fujio

AU - Iwatani, Yoshinori

AU - Watanabe, Mikio

AU - Tomizawa, Rie

AU - Pietiläinen, Kirsi H

AU - Rissanen, Aila

AU - Siribaddana, Sisira H

AU - Hotopf, Matthew

AU - Sumathipala, Athula

AU - Rijsdijk, Fruhling

AU - Tan, Qihua

AU - Zhang, Dongfeng

AU - Pang, Zengchang

AU - Piirtola, Maarit

AU - Aaltonen, Sari

AU - Öncel, Sevgi Y

AU - Aliev, Fazil

AU - Rebato, Esther

AU - Hjelmborg, Jacob B

AU - Christensen, Kaare

AU - Skytthe, Axel

AU - Kyvik, Kirsten O

AU - Silberg, Judy L

AU - Eaves, Lindon J

AU - Cutler, Tessa L

AU - Ordoñana, Juan R

AU - Sánchez-Romera, Juan F

AU - Colodro-Conde, Lucia

AU - Song, Yun-Mi

AU - Yang, Sarah

AU - Lee, Kayoung

AU - Franz, Carol E

AU - Kremen, William S

AU - Lyons, Michael J

AU - Busjahn, Andreas

AU - Nelson, Tracy L

AU - Whitfield, Keith E

AU - Kandler, Christian

AU - Jang, Kerry L

AU - Gatz, Margaret

AU - Butler, David A

AU - Stazi, Maria A

AU - Fagnani, Corrado

AU - D'Ippolito, Cristina

AU - Duncan, Glen E

AU - Buchwald, Dedra

AU - Martin, Nicholas G

AU - Medland, Sarah E

AU - Montgomery, Grant W

AU - Jeong, Hoe-Uk

AU - Swan, Gary E

AU - Krasnow, Ruth

AU - Magnusson, Patrik Ke

AU - Pedersen, Nancy L

AU - Dahl Aslan, Anna K

AU - McAdams, Tom A

AU - Eley, Thalia C

AU - Gregory, Alice M

AU - Tynelius, Per

AU - Baker, Laura A

AU - Tuvblad, Catherine

AU - Bayasgalan, Gombojav

AU - Narandalai, Danshiitsoodol

AU - Spector, Timothy D

AU - Mangino, Massimo

AU - Lachance, Genevieve

AU - Burt, S Alexandra

AU - Klump, Kelly L

AU - Harris, Jennifer R

AU - Brandt, Ingunn

AU - Nilsen, Thomas S

AU - Krueger, Robert F

AU - McGue, Matt

AU - Pahlen, Shandell

AU - Corley, Robin P

AU - Huibregtse, Brooke M

AU - Bartels, Meike

AU - van Beijsterveldt, Catharina Em

AU - Willemsen, Gonneke

AU - Goldberg, Jack H

AU - Rasmussen, Finn

AU - Tarnoki, Adam D

AU - Tarnoki, David L

AU - Derom, Catherine A

AU - Vlietinck, Robert F

AU - Loos, Ruth Jf

AU - Hopper, John L

AU - Sung, Joohon

AU - Maes, Hermine H

AU - Turkheimer, Eric

AU - Boomsma, Dorret I

AU - Sørensen, Thorkild Ia

AU - Kaprio, Jaakko

PY - 2017/8/1

Y1 - 2017/8/1

N2 - Background: Genes and the environment contribute to variation in adult body mass index [BMI (in kg/m(2))], but factors modifying these variance components are poorly understood.Objective: We analyzed genetic and environmental variation in BMI between men and women from young adulthood to old age from the 1940s to the 2000s and between cultural-geographic regions representing high (North America and Australia), moderate (Europe), and low (East Asia) prevalence of obesity.Design: We used genetic structural equation modeling to analyze BMI in twins ≥20 y of age from 40 cohorts representing 20 countries (140,379 complete twin pairs).Results: The heritability of BMI decreased from 0.77 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.78) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.75) in men and women 20-29 y of age to 0.57 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.60) and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.65) in men 70-79 y of age and women 80 y of age, respectively. The relative influence of unique environmental factors correspondingly increased. Differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from 20-29 to 60-69 y of age. Mean BMI and variances in BMI increased from the 1940s to the 2000s and were greatest in North America and Australia, followed by Europe and East Asia. However, heritability estimates were largely similar over measurement years and between regions. There was no evidence of environmental factors shared by co-twins affecting BMI.Conclusions: The heritability of BMI decreased and differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from young adulthood to old age. The heritability of BMI was largely similar between cultural-geographic regions and measurement years, despite large differences in mean BMI and variances in BMI. Our results show a strong influence of genetic factors on BMI, especially in early adulthood, regardless of the obesity level in the population.

AB - Background: Genes and the environment contribute to variation in adult body mass index [BMI (in kg/m(2))], but factors modifying these variance components are poorly understood.Objective: We analyzed genetic and environmental variation in BMI between men and women from young adulthood to old age from the 1940s to the 2000s and between cultural-geographic regions representing high (North America and Australia), moderate (Europe), and low (East Asia) prevalence of obesity.Design: We used genetic structural equation modeling to analyze BMI in twins ≥20 y of age from 40 cohorts representing 20 countries (140,379 complete twin pairs).Results: The heritability of BMI decreased from 0.77 (95% CI: 0.77, 0.78) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.75) in men and women 20-29 y of age to 0.57 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.60) and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.65) in men 70-79 y of age and women 80 y of age, respectively. The relative influence of unique environmental factors correspondingly increased. Differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from 20-29 to 60-69 y of age. Mean BMI and variances in BMI increased from the 1940s to the 2000s and were greatest in North America and Australia, followed by Europe and East Asia. However, heritability estimates were largely similar over measurement years and between regions. There was no evidence of environmental factors shared by co-twins affecting BMI.Conclusions: The heritability of BMI decreased and differences in the sets of genes affecting BMI in men and women increased from young adulthood to old age. The heritability of BMI was largely similar between cultural-geographic regions and measurement years, despite large differences in mean BMI and variances in BMI. Our results show a strong influence of genetic factors on BMI, especially in early adulthood, regardless of the obesity level in the population.

KW - Adult

KW - Age Factors

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Australia

KW - Body Mass Index

KW - Body Weight

KW - Culture

KW - Environment

KW - Europe

KW - Female

KW - Gene-Environment Interaction

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - North America

KW - Obesity

KW - Prevalence

KW - Quantitative Trait, Heritable

KW - Sex Factors

KW - Twins, Dizygotic

KW - Twins, Monozygotic

KW - Young Adult

KW - Journal Article

KW - Twin Study

U2 - 10.3945/ajcn.117.153643

DO - 10.3945/ajcn.117.153643

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28679550

SN - 0002-9165

VL - 106

SP - 457

EP - 466

JO - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

JF - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

IS - 2

ER -

Differences in genetic and environmental variation in adult BMI by sex, age, time period, and region: an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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