SynthesisScience advances2019
GWAS on longitudinal growth traits reveals different genetic factors influencing infant, child, and adult BMI.
Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph
Synthesis in Science advances, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 86 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
86citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
22.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
86 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 161 citations in OpenAlex.
- GWAS meta-analysis reveals key risk loci in essential tremor pathogenesis.Communications biology · 2024Pooled it
- Meta-regression of genome-wide association studies to estimate age-varying genetic effects.European journal of epidemiology · 2024Pooled it
- GWAS-Identified Variants for Obesity Do Not Influence the Risk of Developing Multiple Myeloma: A Population-Based Study and Meta-Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Large-scale association study on daily weight gain in pigs reveals overlap of genetic factors for growth in humans.BMC genomics · 2022Pooled it
- Genome-wide association analysis of adaptation to oxygen stress in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).BMC genomics · 2021Pooled it
- Novel loci for childhood body mass index and shared heritability with adult cardiometabolic traits.PLoS genetics · 2020Pooled it
- Genome-wide mapping of common and rare variant effects on adiposity across childhood.Nature genetics · 2026Article
- The Relationship between Air Pollution Exposure, Genetic Liability for Schizophrenia, and Brain Outcomes in the ABCD Study.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2026Article
- Early-life body mass index and adult fat distribution: a life-course Mendelian randomisation study.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Birth Weight Percentiles and Infant and Child Growth Dynamics.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- FEMA-Long: Modeling unstructured covariances for discovery of time-dependent effects in large-scale longitudinal datasets.PLoS genetics · 2026Article
- Article
- Can Psychiatric Genetics Advance Without Incorporating a Life Course Perspective?Biological psychiatry · 2026Review
- A simple approach for multiple observations improves power to detect genetic effects and genomic prediction accuracy.HGG advances · 2026Article
- The association of objectively and subjectively measured modifiable lifestyle factors with internalizing problems: the role of genetic confounding and shared method variance bias.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Distinct genetic profiles influence body mass index between infancy and adolescence.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Associations of growth trajectories from birth to two years of age with adolescent blood pressure: the mediating role of current BMI in the follow-up of an antenatal micronutrient supplementation trial.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Observational
- Global trends, projections, and inequalities in overweight and obesity among children and adolescents from 1990 to 2040: a modelling study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Mendelian Randomization With Longitudinal Exposure Data: Simulation Study and Real Data Application.Statistics in medicine · 2026Article
- The Contribution of BMI to a Young Child's Risk of Islet Autoimmunity Is Dependent on HLA-DR4-DQ8 Without HLA-DR3-DQ2.Diabetes care · 2025Article
26 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
93 authors at 20 institutions in 13 countries.
Alexessander Couto AlvesDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
N Maneka G De SilvaDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Ville KarhunenDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Ulla SovioDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0799-1105
Shikta DasDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
H Rob TaalThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Nicole M WarringtonDivision of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4195-775X
Alexandra M LewinDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0081-7582
Marika KaakinenDepartment of Genomics of Common Disease, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9228-0462
Diana L CousminerDivision of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8864-7893
Elisabeth ThieringInstitute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich Neuherberg, Germany.
Nicholas J TimpsonMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol and NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Center, Bristol, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7141-9189
Tom A BondDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Estelle LowryCenter for Life Course Health Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-4655-416X
Christopher D BrownDepartment of Genetics and Institute for Biomedical Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3785-5008
Xavier EstivillGenomics and Disease Group, Bioinformatics and Genomics Programme, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-0723-2256
Virpi LindiInstitute of Biomedicine, Department of Physiology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Jonathan P BradfieldCenter for Applied Genomics, Abramson Research Center, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Frank GellerDepartment of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-9238-3269
Doug SpeedAarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-0096-9765
Lachlan J M CoinDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4300-455X
Marie LohDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3626-8466
Sheila J BartonMRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4963-4242
Lawrence J BeilinMedical School, Royal Perth Hospital, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Hans BisgaardCOPSAC, The Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Klaus BønnelykkeCOPSAC, The Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Rohia AliliCRNH Ile de France, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.ORCID 0000-0002-0158-4250
Ida J HatoumCRNH Ile de France, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Katharina SchrammInstitute of Human Genetics, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8809-3170
Rufus CartwrightDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Marie-Aline CharlesInserm, UMR 1153 (CRESS), Paris Descartes University, Villejuif, Paris, France.ORCID 0000-0003-4025-4390
Vincenzo SalernoDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Karine ClémentCRNH Ile de France, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Annique A J ClaringbouldUniversity Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Genetics, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9201-6557
BIOS Consortium
Cornelia M van DuijnDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-2374-9204
Elena MoltchanovaDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Johan G ErikssonDepartment of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Cathy ElksMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
Bjarke FeenstraDepartment of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-1478-649X
Claudia FlexederInstitute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich Neuherberg, Germany.
Stephen FranksInstitute for Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Timothy M FraylingInstitute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8362-2603
Rachel M FreathyInstitute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4152-2238
Paul ElliottDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Elisabeth WidénInstitute for Molecular Medicine Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID 0000-0001-7108-2806
Hakon HakonarsonDivision of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2814-7461
Andrew T HattersleyInstitute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK.
Alina RodriguezDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1209-8802
Marco BanterleDepartment of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Joachim HeinrichInstitute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich Neuherberg, Germany.
Barbara HeudeInserm, UMR 1153 (CRESS), Paris Descartes University, Villejuif, Paris, France.ORCID 0000-0002-1565-1629
John W HollowayHuman Genetics and Medical Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9998-0464
Albert HofmanThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9865-121X
Elina HyppönenSouth Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3670-9399
Hazel InskipMRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8897-1749
Lee M KaplanObesity, Metabolism, and Nutrition Institute and Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6301-2696
Asa K HedmanWellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Esa LääräResearch Unit of Mathematical Sciences, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Holger ProkischInstitute of Human Genetics, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2379-6286
Harald GrallertResearch Unit of Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
Timo A LakkaInstitute of Biomedicine, Department of Physiology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-9199-2871
Debbie A LawlorMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol and NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Center, Bristol, UK.
Mads MelbyeDepartment of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-8264-6785
Tarunveer S AhluwaliaCOPSAC, The Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-7464-3354
Marcella MarinelliHospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-5450-3960
Iona Y MillwoodClinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU), University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK.
Lyle J PalmerSchool of Public Health and Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1628-3055
Craig E PennellDivision of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0937-6165
John R PerryMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6483-3771
Susan M RingMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol and NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Center, Bristol, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3103-9330
Markku J SavolainenDivision of Internal Medicine, and Biocenter of Oulu, Faculty of Medicine, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-2557-6423
Fernando RivadeneiraDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-9435-9441
Marie StandlInstitute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich Neuherberg, Germany.
Jordi SunyerPompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-2602-4110
Carla M T TieslerInstitute of Epidemiology I, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich Neuherberg, Germany.
Andre G UitterlindenDepartment of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
William SchierdingLiggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0001-5659-2701
Justin M O'SullivanLiggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.ORCID 0000-0003-2927-450X
Inga ProkopenkoDepartment of Genomics of Common Disease, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1624-7457
Karl-Heinz HerzigBiocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
George Davey SmithMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol and NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Center, Bristol, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1407-8314
Paul O'ReillyDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Janine F FelixThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9801-5774
Jessica L BuxtonSchool of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, UK.
Alexandra I F BlakemoreDepartment of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, London, UK.
Ken K OngMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4689-7530
Vincent W V JaddoeThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2939-0041
Struan F A GrantDivision of Human Genetics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Sylvain SebertDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6681-6983
Mark I McCarthyWellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4393-0510
Marjo-Riitta JärvelinDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2149-0630
Early Growth Genetics (EGG) Consortium
Imperial College London · GBHelmholtz Zentrum München · DEErasmus MC · NLChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia · USUniversity of Bristol · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GBCentre for Human Genetics · GBDélégation Paris 5 · FRStatens Serum Institut · DKUniversity of Copenhagen · DKUniversity of Exeter · GBUniversity of Oulu · FIHarvard University · USLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBSouthampton General Hospital · GBThe University of Queensland · AUThe University of Western Australia · AUUniversitat Pompeu Fabra · ESUniversity of Auckland · NZUniversity of Eastern Finland · FI
Funding
JH/CIDR Genotyping for Genome-Wide Association StudiesU01HG004438 · NHGRI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI VALLE, DAVID · 2007 to 2011
$24.2MGenome Wide Association Study for Childhood ObesityR01HD056465 · NICHD · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · PI GRANT, STRUAN F A · 2008 to 2024
$9.5MGenetics of cardiovascular risk factors in large founder population birth controlR01HL087679 · NHLBI · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · PI HIRSCHHORN, JOEL N · 2007 to 2009
$4.0MGenetic Influences on ADHD in a Finnish Birth CohortR01MH063706 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI SMALLEY, SUSAN L · 2001 to 2005
$3.3MMetabolomic and Epigenomic Mechanisms in Developmental Overnutrition.R01DK103246 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL · PI LAWLOR, DEBORAH ANNE · 2014 to 2018
$2.2MWhole Genome Assoc. Analysis Strategies for Multi. PhenotypesRL1MH083268 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI FREIMER, NELSON B. · 2007 to 2011
$2.1MGenome-wide association studies of prematurity and its complicationsU01HG004423 · NHGRI · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI MURRAY, JEFFREY C · 2007 to 2010
$1.5MGenetic determinants of puberty and later life health outcomesK99HD099330 · NICHD · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · PI COUSMINER, DIANA · 2019 to 2019
$132kMedical Research Council G0600705Medical Research Council G9815508Medical Research Council MC_PC_15018Medical Research Council MC_PC_19009Medical Research Council MC_UP_A620_1017Medical Research Council MC_UU_00011/1Medical Research Council MC_UU_00011/6Medical Research Council MC_UU_12011/4Medical Research Council MC_UU_12015/2Medical Research Council MR/M013138/1Medical Research Council MR/M013138/2NHGRI NIH HHS U01 HG004423NHGRI NIH HHS U01 HG004438NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL087679NICHD NIH HHS K99 HD099330NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD056465NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK103246NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH063706NIMH NIH HHS RL1 MH083268Wellcome Trust 202802/Z/16/Z
Abstract
Early childhood growth patterns are associated with adult health, yet the genetic factors and the developmental stages involved are not fully understood. Here, we combine genome-wide association studies with modeling of longitudinal growth traits to study the genetics of infant and child growth, followed by functional, pathway, genetic correlation, risk score, and colocalization analyses to determine how developmental timings, molecular pathways, and genetic determinants of these traits overlap with those of adult health. We found a robust overlap between the genetics of child and adult body mass index (BMI), with variants associated with adult BMI acting as early as 4 to 6 years old. However, we demonstrated a completely distinct genetic makeup for peak BMI during infancy, influenced by variation at the
Indexed as
Body Mass IndexGenetic Association StudiesGenome-Wide Association StudyQuantitative Trait, HeritableQuantitative Trait LociAdaptor Proteins, Signal TransducingAdultChildFemaleGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenomicsGrowth ChartsHumansInfantIntracellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsLongitudinal StudiesAdaptor Proteins, Signal TransducingIntracellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsLEPROT protein, humanLEPR protein, humanReceptors, Leptin
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