Heritability of Adult Body Height: A Comparative Study of Twin Cohorts in Eight Countries

Silventoinen, Karri; Sammalisto, Sampo; Perola, Markus; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Cornes, Belinda K.; Davis, Chayna; Dunkel, Leo; Lange, Marlies de; Harris, Jennifer R.; Hjelmborg, Jacob; Luciano, Michelle; Martin, Nicholas G.; Mortensen, Jakob; Nisticò, Lorenza; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Skytthe, Axel; Spector, Tim D.; Stazi, Maria Antonietta; Willemsen, Gonneke; Kaprio, Jaakko

doi:10.1375/136905203770326402

Cited by 543 publications

(228 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In contrast, growth in weight and height measured in the second trimester was positively associated with PWV and PHV respectively. Body stature and size are known to be a highly heritable trait, with a large genetic component (27,28). It could be hypothesized that the fetus grows along its growth curve during the first half of pregnancy but that this curve is more susceptible to maternal-uterine factors during late pregnancy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal and infant growth and the risk of obesity during early childhood: the Generation R Study

Mook‐Kanamori

Durmuş

Sovio

et al. 2011

European Journal of Endocrinology

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Objective: To examine whether infant growth rates are influenced by fetal growth characteristics and are associated with the risks of overweight and obesity in early childhood. Design: This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life onward. Methods: Fetal growth characteristics (femur length (FL) and estimated fetal weight (EFW)) were assessed in the second and third trimesters and at birth (length and weight). Infant peak weight velocity (PWV), peak height velocity (PHV), and body mass index at adiposity peak (BMIAP) were derived for 6267 infants with multiple height and weight measurements. Results: EFW measured during the second trimester was positively associated with PWV and BMIAP during infancy. Subjects with a smaller weight gain between the third trimester and birth had a higher PWV. FL measured during the second trimester was positively associated with PHV. Gradual length gain between the second and third trimesters and between the third trimester and birth were associated with higher PHV. Compared with infants in the lowest quintile, the infants in the highest quintile of PWV had strongly increased risks of overweight/obesity at the age of 4 years (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 15.01 (9.63, 23.38)). Conclusion: Fetal growth characteristics strongly influence infant growth rates. A higher PWV, which generally occurs in the first month after birth, was associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity at 4 years of age. Longer follow-up studies are necessary to determine how fetal and infant growth patterns affect the risk of disease in later life.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal and infant growth and the risk of obesity during early childhood: the Generation R Study

Mook‐Kanamori

Durmuş

Sovio

et al. 2011

European Journal of Endocrinology

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“…This magnitude of heritability is substantially lower than at later ages, with heritability of adult height approaching 90% [94]. Figure 4 illustrates the changes in heritability in weight and height that occur between birth and 3 years of age, as well as a decline in the heritability of weight during the last trimester of pregnancy-from approximately 50% at 25 weeks gestation to approximately 30% at 42 weeks [95].…”

Section: Secular Trends In Body Sizementioning

confidence: 97%

Between Scylla and Charybdis: renegotiating resolution of the ‘obstetric dilemma’ in response to ecological change

Wells¹

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Hominin evolution saw the emergence of two traits-bipedality and encephalization-that are fundamentally linked because the fetal head must pass through the maternal pelvis at birth, a scenario termed the 'obstetric dilemma'. While adaptive explanations for bipedality and large brains address adult phenotype, it is brain and pelvic growth that are subject to the obstetric dilemma. Many contemporary populations experience substantial maternal and perinatal morbidity/mortality from obstructed labour, yet there is increasing recognition that the obstetric dilemma is not fixed and is affected by ecological change. Ecological trends may affect growth of the pelvis and offspring brain to different extents, while the two traits also differ by a generation in the timing of their exposure. Two key questions arise: how can the fit between the maternal pelvis and the offspring brain be 'renegotiated' as the environment changes, and what nutritional signals regulate this process? I argue that the potential for maternal size to change across generations precludes birthweight being under strong genetic influence. Instead, fetal growth tracks maternal phenotype, which buffers short-term ecological perturbations. Nevertheless, rapid changes in nutritional supply between generations can generate antagonistic influences on maternal and offspring traits, increasing the risk of obstructed labour.

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“…With respect to genes, adult height and growth pattern are largely genetically programmed. Studies in twins have indicated that the heritability of height is high (∼80%), suggesting that genetic variation is the main determinant of stature [1]. Although rare genetic variants are involved with larger effects on stature, common polymorphisms are significantly associated with height in healthy individuals [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of the Natriuretic Peptide System in Normal Growth and Growth Disorders

Vasques¹,

Arnhold

Jorge³

2014

Horm Res Paediatr

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The C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and its receptor (NPR-B) are recognized as important regulators of longitudinal growth. Animal models involving CNP or NPR-B genes (Nppc or Npr2) support the fundamental role of CNP/NPR-B for endochondral ossification. Studies with these animals allow the development of potential drug therapies for dwarfism. Polymorphisms in two genes related to the CNP pathway have been implicated in height variability in healthy individuals. Biallelic loss-of-function mutations in NPR-B gene (NPR2) cause acromesomelic dysplasia type Maroteux, a skeletal dysplasia with extremely short stature. Heterozygous mutations in NPR2 are responsible for nonsyndromic familial short stature. Conversely, heterozygous gain-of-function mutations in NPR2 cause tall stature, with a variable phenotype. A phase 2 multicenter and multinational trial is being developed to evaluate a CNP analog treatment for achondroplasia. Pediatricians and endocrinologists must be aware of growth disorders related to natriuretic peptides, although there is still much to be learned about its diagnostic and therapeutic use.

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Heritability of Adult Body Height: A Comparative Study of Twin Cohorts in Eight Countries

Cited by 543 publications

References 51 publications

Fetal and infant growth and the risk of obesity during early childhood: the Generation R Study

Fetal and infant growth and the risk of obesity during early childhood: the Generation R Study

Between Scylla and Charybdis: renegotiating resolution of the ‘obstetric dilemma’ in response to ecological change

Role of the Natriuretic Peptide System in Normal Growth and Growth Disorders

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