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Twin study of genetic and environmental influences on adult body size, shape, and composition

International Journal of Obesity volume 28, pages 39–48 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic and environmental influences on adult body size, shape, and composition in women and men, and to assess the impact of age.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of 325 female and 299 male like-sex healthy twin pairs, on average 38 y old (18–67 y), we determined zygosity by DNA similarity, and performed anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis of body composition. The contribution to the total phenotypic variance of genetic, common environment, and individual environment was estimated in multivariate analysis using the FISHER program. Further, these variance components were analysed as linear functions of age.

RESULTS: In both women and men genetic contributions were significant for all phenotypes. Heritability for body mass index was 0.58 and 0.63; for body fat%, 0.59 and 0.63; for total skinfolds, 0.61 and 0.65; for extremity skinfolds 0.65 and 0.62; for truncal skinfolds, 0.50 and 0.69; for suprailiac skinfolds, 0.49 and 0.48; for waist circumference, 0.48 and 0.61; for hip, 0.52 and 0.58; for lean body mass/height2, 0.61 and 0.56; and for height, 0.81 and 0.69, respectively. There was no strong evidence of common environmental effects under the assumptions of no nonadditive effect. The pattern of age trends was inconsistent. However, when significant there was a decrease in heritability with advancing age.

DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that adult body size, shape, and composition are highly heritable in both women and men, although a decreasing tendency is seen with advancing age.

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Acknowledgements

The GEMINAKAR project was supported by grants from Danish Medical Research Fund, The Danish Diabetes Association, The NOVO Foundation, The Danish Heart Foundation, Apotekerfonden, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansen's Foundation, Direktør E Danielsen og Hustrus Foundation, Direktør Kurt Bønnelycke og Hustru Grethes Foundation, Fonden til Lægevidenskabens Fremme, Fru Asta Florida Boldings Legat, Ove William og Edith Buhl Olesens Mindelegat, The Faculty of Health at University of Southern Denmark, The Danish National Science Foundation, Torkil Steenbecks Legat, Gangstedfonden, and King Christian the Tenth's Foundation. The authors acknowledge Mrs LK Brigsted, Mrs B Carstensen, Mr E Eilersen, Mrs E Beck-Nielsen, Mrs B Dalsgaard, and Mrs Dorthe Viborg for excellent technical assistance. Thanks are deeply expressed to all the twins who took the day off to participate in the GEMINAKAR project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Danish Twin Registry, Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

    K Schousboe & K O Kyvik

  2. Department of Public Health, Centre for Genetic Epidemiology, University of Melbourne, Australia

    K Schousboe, P M Visscher, B Erbas & J L Hopper

  3. Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

    P M Visscher

  4. Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark

    J E Henriksen

  5. Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark

    B L Heitmann & T I A Sørensen

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  1. K Schousboe
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Correspondence to K Schousboe.

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Schousboe, K., Visscher, P., Erbas, B. et al. Twin study of genetic and environmental influences on adult body size, shape, and composition. Int J Obes 28, 39–48 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802524

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