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Growth Patterns in Young Adult Monozygotic Twin Pairs Discordant and Concordant for Obesity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Kirsi H. Pietiläinen ,
Aila Rissanen ,
Maria Laamanen ,
Anna-Kaisa Lindholm ,
Harri Markkula ,
Hannele Yki-Järvinen  and
Jaakko Kaprio
Kirsi H. Pietiläinen*
Affiliation:
The Finnish Twin Cohort Study, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland; Obesity Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland; Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland. [email protected]
Aila Rissanen
Affiliation:
Obesity Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
Maria Laamanen
Affiliation:
The Finnish Twin Cohort Study, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Anna-Kaisa Lindholm
Affiliation:
The Finnish Twin Cohort Study, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Harri Markkula
Affiliation:
Tilator Oy Ltd, Säkylä, Finland.
Hannele Yki-Järvinen
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
Jaakko Kaprio
Affiliation:
The Finnish Twin Cohort Study, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
*
*Address for correspondence: Kirsi H. Pietiläinen, Department of Public Health, PO Box 41, FIN – 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

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Weight discordance is very rare in monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs; when found, however, such pairs are advantageous in the search for either environmental or epigenetic causes and consequences of obesity. We analyzed the growth patterns of young adult MZ pairs discordant and concordant for obesity. Screening 5 consecutive birth cohorts (1975–1979) of 22- to 27-year-old Finnish twins (the FinnTwin16 study), we found 14 obesity discordant (Body Mass Index [BMI] difference ≥ 4 kg/m2) MZ pairs out of 658. Ten pairs participated in clinical studies. Nine concordant pairs (BMI difference ≤ 2 kg/m2) were examined as controls. Lifetime measured heights and weights recorded in hospitals and health centers were traced manually. Height development was similar in all the co-twins of both groups. The weight differences between the co-twins of the discordant pairs began to emerge at 18 years leading to an average discordance of 16.4 kg, 5.6 kg/m2(p for both = .005) at 25.7 years. The heavier co-twin weighed 221 g (p = .066), 1.0 kg/m2 (p = .01) more already at birth than the leaner, but the differences waned by 6 months of age and reappeared only after adolescence. Both the leaner and the heavier co-twins of the discordant pairs weighed more than expected by the singleton reference values (Cole et al., 1998) after 8 years. The concordant co-twins, on the other hand, grew similarly and after 6 months, their mean growth was not distinguishable from the singleton patterns. Young adulthood represents a critical period of gaining weight irrespective of genetic background in this twin sample.

Type
Articles
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 7 , Issue 5 , 01 October 2004 , pp. 421 - 429
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004