ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2016
Genetic and environmental effects on body mass index from infancy to the onset of adulthood: an individual-based pooled analysis of 45 twin cohorts participating in the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) study.
Open access · bronzeAbstract readTwin Study
In one paragraph
Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 121 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
121citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
17.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
121 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 238 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gene-environment interplay explaining individual variation in BMI outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies using polygenic indices.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Pooled it
- Identifying Key Predictors of Mid-Childhood Obesity in a Population-Based Cohort Study: An Evidence Synthesis and Predictive Modeling Study.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Heritability of Psychological Traits and Developmental Milestones in Infancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Novel loci for childhood body mass index and shared heritability with adult cardiometabolic traits.PLoS genetics · 2020Pooled it
- OBEDIS Core Variables Project: European Expert Guidelines on a Minimal Core Set of Variables to Include in Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trials of Obesity Interventions.Obesity facts · 2020Guideline
- Maternal body mass index, gestational weight gain, and the risk of overweight and obesity across childhood: An individual participant data meta-analysis.PLoS medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Smoking during pregnancy is associated with child overweight independent of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and genetic predisposition to adiposity.Scientific reports · 2022Trial
- The CODATwins Project: The Current Status and Recent Findings of COllaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins.Twin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies · 2019Trial
- Weight gain and brain development in the ABCD study cohort: A decade of insight and the road ahead.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2026Review
- Interaction Between Genetic Risk and Parental Feeding Practices in the Prediction of Overweight Across Adolescence.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2026Article
- Parental body mass index and offspring childhood body size and eating behaviour: A structural equation modelling analysis in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study.PLoS medicine · 2026Article
- Genome-wide DNA methylation signatures in blood associated with pediatric obesity.Clinical epigenetics · 2026Article
- The genetics of obesity: aetiology, prevention and therapy.Nature metabolism · 2026Review
- Genetic and environmental effects on weight gain from young adulthood to old age and its association with body mass index in early young adulthood: an individual-based pooled analysis of 16 twin cohorts.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Article
- Distinct genetic profiles influence body mass index between infancy and adolescence.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Genetic regulation of body size and morphology from adolescence to early adulthood.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing of the Leptin-Melanocortin Pathway in Severe Obesity.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2026Article
- Interaction between polygenic scores and dietary intake in relation to BMI in Canadian children.Journal of nutritional science · 2026Article
61 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
104 authors at 20 institutions in 25 countries.
Karri SilventoinenDepartments of Social Research and Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan; karri.silventoinen@helsinki.fi.
Aline JelenkovicDepartments of Social Research and Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain;
Reijo SundDepartments of Social Research and.
Yoon-Mi HurDepartment of Education, Mokpo National University, Jeonnam, South Korea;
Yoshie YokoyamaDepartment of Public Health Nursing, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan;
Chika HondaOsaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan;
Jacob vB HjelmborgThe Danish Twin Registry, Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, and.
Sören MöllerThe Danish Twin Registry, Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, and.
Syuichi OokiDepartment of Health Science, Ishikawa Prefectural Nursing University, Kahoku, Ishikawa, Japan;
Sari AaltonenDepartments of Social Research and Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;
Fuling JiDepartment of Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention, Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China;
Feng NingDepartment of Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention, Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China;
Zengchang PangDepartment of Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention, Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China;
Esther RebatoDepartment of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain;
Andreas BusjahnHealthTwiSt GmbH, Berlin, Germany;
Christian KandlerDepartment of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany;
Kimberly J SaudinoDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA;
Kerry L JangDepartment of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada;
Wendy CozenDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA;
Amie E HwangDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, and.
Thomas M MackDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA;
Wenjing GaoDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China;
Canqing YuDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China;
Liming LiDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China;
Robin P CorleyInstitute for Behavioral Genetics, Boulder, CO;
Brooke M HuibregtseInstitute for Behavioral Genetics, Boulder, CO;
Kaare ChristensenThe Danish Twin Registry, Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, and Departments of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology Clinical Genetics.
Axel SkyttheThe Danish Twin Registry, Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, and.
Kirsten O KyvikDepartment of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Odense Patient data Explorative Network, and.
Catherine A DeromCentre of Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ghent University Hospitals, Ghent, Belgium;
Robert F VlietinckCentre of Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium;
Ruth Jf LoosThe Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY;
Kauko HeikkiläPublic Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;
Jane WardleHealth Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, United Kingdom;
Clare H LlewellynHealth Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, United Kingdom;
Abigail FisherHealth Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, United Kingdom;
Tom A McAdamsHealth Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, United Kingdom; MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and.
Thalia C EleyMRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and.
Alice M GregoryDepartment of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom;
Mingguang HeState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;
Xiaohu DingState Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China;
Morten Bjerregaard-AndersenDepartments of Endocrinology and Bandim Health Project, INDEPTH Network, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau; Research Center for Vitamins and Vaccines, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark;
Henning Beck-NielsenDepartments of Endocrinology and.
Morten SodemannDepartments of Endocrinology and Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark;
Adam D TarnokiDepartment of Radiology and Oncotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Hungarian Twin Registry, Budapest, Hungary;
David L TarnokiDepartment of Radiology and Oncotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Hungarian Twin Registry, Budapest, Hungary;
Maria A StaziIstituto Superiore di Sanità - National Center for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy;
Corrado FagnaniIstituto Superiore di Sanità - National Center for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy;
Cristina D'IppolitoIstituto Superiore di Sanità - National Center for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy;
Ariel Knafo-NoamThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel;
David MankutaHadassah Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel;
Lior AbramsonThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel;
S Alexandra BurtMichigan State University, East Lansing, MI;
Kelly L KlumpMichigan State University, East Lansing, MI;
Judy L SilbergDepartment of Human and Molecular Genetics.
Lindon J EavesDepartment of Human and Molecular Genetics.
Hermine H MaesDepartment of Human and Molecular Genetics, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA;
Robert F KruegerDepartment of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN;
Matt McGueDepartment of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN;
Shandell PahlenDepartment of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN;
Margaret GatzDepartment of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Departments of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and.
David A ButlerInstitute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences Washington, DC;
Meike BartelsDepartment of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Toos Cem van BeijsterveldtDepartment of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Jeffrey M CraigMurdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;
Richard SafferyMurdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;
Duarte L FreitasDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal;
José Antonio MaiaCentre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, Porto, University of Porto, Portugal;
Lise DuboisSchool of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;
Michel BoivinÉcole de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; Institute of Genetic, Neurobiological, and Social Foundations of Child Development, Tomsk State University, Russian Federation;
Mara BrendgenDépartement de psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada;
Ginette DionneÉcole de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada;
Frank VitaroÉcole de psychoéducation, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada;
Nicholas G MartinGenetic Epidemiology Department and.
Sarah E MedlandGenetic Epidemiology Department and.
Grant W MontgomeryMolecular Epidemiology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia;
Youngsook ChongDepartment of Psychology, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea;
Gary E SwanStanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA;
Ruth KrasnowCenter for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA;
Patrik Ke MagnussonDepartments of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and.
Nancy L PedersenDepartments of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and.
Per TyneliusPublic Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;
Paul LichtensteinDepartments of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and.
Claire Ma HaworthMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom;
Robert PlominMRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and.
Gombojav BayasgalanHealthy Twin Association of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia;
Danshiitsoodol NarandalaiHealthy Twin Association of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan;
K Paige HardenDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX;
Elliot M Tucker-DrobDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX;
Sevgi Y ÖncelDepartment of Statistics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, Turkey;
Fazil AlievDepartment of Human and Molecular Genetics, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology.
Timothy SpectorDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College, London, United Kingdom;
Massimo ManginoDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College, London, United Kingdom;
Genevieve LachanceDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College, London, United Kingdom;
Laura A BakerDepartment of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA;
Catherine TuvbladDepartment of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; Örebro University, School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro, Sweden;
Glen E DuncanCollege of Medicine, Washington State University - Health Sciences Spokane, Spokane, WA;
Dedra BuchwaldWashington State Twin Registry, Washington State University, Seattle, WA;
Gonneke WillemsenDepartment of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Finn RasmussenPublic Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden;
Jack H GoldbergDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA;
Thorkild Ia SørensenMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (Section on Metabolic Genetics) and Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen,Denmark; Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, Copenhagen, The Capital Region, Denmark;
Dorret I BoomsmaDepartment of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Jaakko KaprioPublic Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; and Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, Helsinki, Finland.
King's College London · GBVrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NLDepartment of Health and Social Care · GBDepartment of Public Health · MMPeking University · CNQingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention · CNUniversity of Minnesota · USGenetic Resources Center · JPHebrew University of Jerusalem · ILInstitute for Behavioral Medicine · USIstituto Superiore di Sanità · ITKarolinska Institutet · SEKeck Hospital of USC · USMichigan State University · USPsychiatry Research Trust · GBRoyal Children's Hospital · AUSemmelweis University · HUSun Yat-sen University · CNThe University of Osaka · JPThe University of Texas at Austin · US
Funding
Twin StudyP60DA011015 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI HEWITT, JOHN K. · 1997 to 2013
$22.5MResearch Training-Genetics of Substance AbuseT32DA017637 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER · PI STITZEL, JERRY A · 2004 to 2023
$5.3MScientific & Technical CoreP2CHD042849 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · PI Elizabeth T. Gershoff · 2017 to 2026
$5.2MDevelopmental Change in Temperament in Preschoolers: Implications and EtiologyR01HD068435 · NICHD · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · PI SAUDINO, KIMBERLY J. · 2012 to 2016
$2.9MGenetic Influences on Activity Level in Early ChildhoodR01MH062375 · NIMH · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · PI SAUDINO, KIMBERLY J. · 2003 to 2007
$1.9MThe Greatest Generation: The NAS-NRC WWII Twin Registry as a Scientific ResourceR21AG039572 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI GATZ, MARGARET · 2011 to 2012
$388kMedical Research Council G19/2NIA NIH HHS R21 AG039572NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD042849NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD068435NIDA NIH HHS P60 DA011015NIDA NIH HHS T32 DA017637NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH062375
Abstract
backgroundBoth genetic and environmental factors are known to affect body mass index (BMI), but detailed understanding of how their effects differ during childhood and adolescence is lacking.
objectivesWe analyzed the genetic and environmental contributions to BMI variation from infancy to early adulthood and the ways they differ by sex and geographic regions representing high (North America and Australia), moderate (Europe), and low levels (East Asia) of obesogenic environments.
designData were available for 87,782 complete twin pairs from 0.5 to 19.5 y of age from 45 cohorts. Analyses were based on 383,092 BMI measurements. Variation in BMI was decomposed into genetic and environmental components through genetic structural equation modeling.
resultsThe variance of BMI increased from 5 y of age along with increasing mean BMI. The proportion of BMI variation explained by additive genetic factors was lowest at 4 y of age in boys (a(2) = 0.42) and girls (a(2) = 0.41) and then generally increased to 0.75 in both sexes at 19 y of age. This was because of a stronger influence of environmental factors shared by co-twins in midchildhood. After 15 y of age, the effect of shared environment was not observed. The sex-specific expression of genetic factors was seen in infancy but was most prominent at 13 y of age and older. The variance of BMI was highest in North America and Australia and lowest in East Asia, but the relative proportion of genetic variation to total variation remained roughly similar across different regions.
conclusionsEnvironmental factors shared by co-twins affect BMI in childhood, but little evidence for their contribution was found in late adolescence. Our results suggest that genetic factors play a major role in the variation of BMI in adolescence among populations of different ethnicities exposed to different environmental factors related to obesity.
Indexed as
Body Mass IndexEnvironmentGene-Environment InteractionGenetic VariationAdolescentAdultAge FactorsAsia, EasternAustraliaChildChild, PreschoolEuropeFemaleHumansInfantMaleBMIchildrengeneticsinternational comparisonstwins
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