ArticlePloS one2023
Mental, physical, and social well-being and quality of life in healthy young adult twin pairs discordant and concordant for body mass index.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Changes in self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and body appreciation during face-to-face and digital supervised physical activity interventions in women with obesity: A dual-study investigation.Obesity pillars · 2026Article
- Psychosocial determinants of food cravings in women with overweight and obesity: self-stigmatisation, weight bias and self-esteem.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Sleep Quality and Sex-Specific Physical Activity Benefits Predict Mental Health in Romanian Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Twin study method: Unlocking genetic and environmental interactions.Endocrine journal · 2025Review
- Association between living arrangement and psychological well-being among patients with major depressive disorder: the moderating role of body mass index.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Plasma N-Glycoproteomics in monozygotic twin pairs discordant for body mass index reveals an obesity signature related to inflammation and iron metabolism.Biology direct · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe relationship between obesity and mental health is complex and is moderated by the level of obesity, age, sex, and social and genetic factors. In the current study, we used a unique co-twin control design, with twin pairs discordant for body mass index (BMI), to control for shared genetic and environmental effects between obesity and several dimensions of mental health.
methodsWe studied 74 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs, of whom 36 were BMI-discordant (intra-pair difference in BMI ≥ 3 kg/m2), and 77 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs (46 BMI-discordant). We assessed subjective health, especially mental health and mental well-being (depression, anxiety, self-esteem, health-related quality of life, life satisfaction, and social well-being) through questionnaires.
resultsHeavier MZ co-twins from BMI-discordant pairs had poorer general health (58.8±3.0 vs. 72.4±3.8, P = 0.001, FDR = 0.017 on a scale from 0 to 100 where higher scores indicate more positive results), physical functioning (90.3±1.1 vs. 95.5±2.2, P = 0.024, FDR = 0.122), energy levels (55.6±3.4 vs. 66.6±3.3, P = 0.013, FDR = 0.109), and emotional well-being (65.9±3.2 vs. 75.4±2.9, P = 0.031, FDR = 0.122), as well as a tendency for depressive symptoms (8.4±1.3 vs. 5.6±0.9, P = 0.071, FDR = 0.166) compared to their leaner co-twins. Heavier DZ co-twins had poorer total physical well-being (91.6±1.9 vs. 95.6±1.0, P = 0.035, FDR = 0.356) and more depressive symptoms (4.3±0.9 vs. 2.4±0.5, P = 0.016, FDR = 0.345 on a scale from 0 to 63 where lower scores indicate fewer depressive symptoms) than their leaner co-twins. Association analyses, using all twin pairs, confirmed that higher BMI within pairs linked to general health, physical functioning and depressive symptoms. No association was found between BMI and anxiety, self-esteem, life satisfaction, or social well-being.
conclusionsIn conclusion, this study underscores the notable association between elevated BMI and physical well-being and to a lesser extent between elevated BMI and depressive symptoms, while revealing no discernible connections with anxiety, self-esteem, life satisfaction, or social well-being.
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