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Physical activity, diet and gene–environment interactions in relation to body mass index and waist circumference: The Swedish Young Male Twins Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Nina Karnehed ,
Per Tynelius ,
Berit L Heitman  and
Finn Rasmussen
Nina Karnehed
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Group, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Norrbacka, SE-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
Per Tynelius
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, Stockholm Centre of Public Health, Norrbacka, SE-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
Berit L Heitman
Affiliation:
Research Unit for Dietary Studies and Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Øster Søgade 18, 1399, Copenhagen, Denmark
Finn Rasmussen*
Affiliation:
Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Group, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Norrbacka, SE-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden Division of Epidemiology, Stockholm Centre of Public Health, Norrbacka, SE-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden
*
*corresponding author: Email [email protected]
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Abstract

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Objective

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships between genetic susceptibility to obesity, physical activity (PA), dietary fibre, sugar and fat intakes and 4-year changes in body mass index (BMI) and attained waist circumference (WC) in a cohort of 287 monozygotic and 189 dizygotic young adult male twin pairs. Increased knowledge about interactions between genes and environment may provide insight into why some individuals are more prone to obesity than others.

Design

Information about PA, BMI, dietary habits, WC and potential confounders was collected by questionnaire in 1998 and 2002. The cohort data were analysed by mixed linear models.

Results

Twins with low PA attained larger WC than twins with high PA (difference 2.5 cm; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3, 3.6). The twins with the lowest fibre intake were found to have attained the highest WC and to have increased most in BMI (difference between highest and lowest fibre intakes: 1.6 cm, 95% CI 0.4, 2.9 and 0.45 kg m−2, 95% CI 0.15, 0.76, respectively). Furthermore, our results suggested the presence of interactions so that twins with genetic susceptibility to obesity were more prone to have larger WC if sedentary than twins without genetic susceptibility.

Conclusion

PA and a diet rich in fibre may be protective against weight gain among younger adult men. An interaction between PA, genes and attained WC is a novel finding which needs confirmation by other studies.

Keywords

Gene–environment interactionPhysical activityDietWaist circumferenceBody weightTwins
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 9 , Issue 7 , October 2006 , pp. 851 - 858
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

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