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Bogl LH, Jelenkovic A, Vuoksimaa E, Ahrenfeldt L, Pietiläinen KH, Stazi MA, Fagnani C, D'Ippolito C, Hur YM, Jeong HU, Silberg JL, Eaves LJ, Maes HH, Bayasgalan G, Narandalai D, Cutler TL, Kandler C, Jang KL, Christensen K, Skytthe A, Kyvik KO, Cozen W, Hwang AE, Mack TM, Derom CA, Vlietinck RF, Nelson TL, Whitfield KE, Corley RP, Huibregtse BM, McAdams TA, Eley TC, Gregory AM, Krueger RF, McGue M, Pahlen S, Willemsen G, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt TCEM, Pang Z, Tan Q, Zhang D, Martin NG, Medland SE, Montgomery GW, Hjelmborg JVB, Rebato E, Swan GE, Krasnow R, Busjahn A, Lichtenstein P, Öncel SY, Aliev F, Baker LA, Tuvblad C, Siribaddana SH, Hotopf M, Sumathipala A, Rijsdijk F, Magnusson PKE, Pedersen NL, Aslan AKD, Ordoñana JR, Sánchez-Romera JF, Colodro-Conde L, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Tarnoki AD, Tarnoki DL, Yokoyama Y, Hopper JL, Loos RJF, Boomsma DI, Sørensen TIA, Silventoinen K, Kaprio J. Does the sex of one's co-twin affect height and BMI in adulthood? A study of dizygotic adult twins from 31 cohorts. Biol Sex Differ 2017; 8:14. [PMID: 28465822 PMCID: PMC5408365 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-017-0134-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The comparison of traits in twins from opposite-sex (OS) and same-sex (SS) dizygotic twin pairs is considered a proxy measure of prenatal hormone exposure. To examine possible prenatal hormonal influences on anthropometric traits, we compared mean height, body mass index (BMI), and the prevalence of being overweight or obese between men and women from OS and SS dizygotic twin pairs. Methods The data were derived from the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) database, and included 68,494 SS and 53,808 OS dizygotic twin individuals above the age of 20 years from 31 twin cohorts representing 19 countries. Zygosity was determined by questionnaires or DNA genotyping depending on the study. Multiple regression and logistic regression models adjusted for cohort, age, and birth year with the twin type as a predictor were carried out to compare height and BMI in twins from OS pairs with those from SS pairs and to calculate the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for being overweight or obese. Results OS females were, on average, 0.31 cm (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20, 0.41) taller than SS females. OS males were also, on average, taller than SS males, but this difference was only 0.14 cm (95% CI 0.02, 0.27). Mean BMI and the prevalence of overweight or obesity did not differ between males and females from SS and OS twin pairs. The statistically significant differences between OS and SS twins for height were small and appeared to reflect our large sample size rather than meaningful differences of public health relevance. Conclusions We found no evidence to support the hypothesis that prenatal hormonal exposure or postnatal socialization (i.e., having grown up with a twin of the opposite sex) has a major impact on height and BMI in adulthood. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13293-017-0134-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie H Bogl
- Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aline Jelenkovic
- Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain
| | - Eero Vuoksimaa
- Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Linda Ahrenfeldt
- Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Biodemography, The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Kirsi H Pietiläinen
- Obesity Research Unit, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Endocrinology, Abdominal Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Maria A Stazi
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità-National Center for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy
| | - Corrado Fagnani
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità-National Center for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina D'Ippolito
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità-National Center for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion, Rome, Italy
| | - Yoon-Mi Hur
- Department of Education, Mokpo National University, Jeonnam, South Korea
| | - Hoe-Uk Jeong
- Department of Education, Mokpo National University, Jeonnam, South Korea
| | - Judy L Silberg
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - Lindon J Eaves
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - Hermine H Maes
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Psychiatry & Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | | | - Danshiitsoodol Narandalai
- Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.,Healthy Twin Association of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Tessa L Cutler
- The Australian Twin Registry, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | | | - Kerry L Jang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada
| | - Kaare Christensen
- Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Biodemography, The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Axel Skytthe
- Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Biodemography, The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Kirsten O Kyvik
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Odense Patient data Explorative Network (OPEN), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Wendy Cozen
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA.,USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Amie E Hwang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Thomas M Mack
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA.,USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Catherine A Derom
- Centre of Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ghent University Hospitals, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Tracy L Nelson
- Department of Health and Exercise Sciences and Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
| | | | - Robin P Corley
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO USA
| | | | - Tom A McAdams
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Thalia C Eley
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Alice M Gregory
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK
| | - Robert F Krueger
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA
| | - Matt McGue
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA
| | - Shandell Pahlen
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN USA
| | - Gonneke Willemsen
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Meike Bartels
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Zengchang Pang
- Department of Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention, Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China
| | - Qihua Tan
- Institute of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dongfeng Zhang
- Department of Public Health, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao, China
| | - Nicholas G Martin
- Genetic Epidemiology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sarah E Medland
- Genetic Epidemiology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- Molecular Epidemiology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jacob V B Hjelmborg
- Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Biodemography, The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Esther Rebato
- Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain
| | - Gary E Swan
- Department of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Ruth Krasnow
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA USA
| | | | - Paul Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sevgi Y Öncel
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, Turkey
| | - Fazil Aliev
- Psychology and African American Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA.,Faculty of Business, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey
| | - Laura A Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Catherine Tuvblad
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA.,School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Sisira H Siribaddana
- Institute of Research & Development, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.,Faculty of Medicine & Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, Sri Lanka
| | - Matthew Hotopf
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, NIHR Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK
| | - Athula Sumathipala
- Institute of Research & Development, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.,Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences, School for Primary Care Research (SPCR), Faculty of Health, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Fruhling Rijsdijk
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Patrik K E Magnusson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nancy L Pedersen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna K Dahl Aslan
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute of Gerontology and Aging Research Network-Jönköping (ARN-J), School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden
| | - Juan R Ordoñana
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Juan F Sánchez-Romera
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Lucia Colodro-Conde
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Glen E Duncan
- Washington State Twin Registry, Washington State University-Health Sciences Spokane, Spokane, WA USA
| | - Dedra Buchwald
- Washington State Twin Registry, Washington State University-Health Sciences Spokane, Spokane, WA USA
| | - Adam D Tarnoki
- Department of Radiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Hungarian Twin Registry, Budapest, Hungary
| | - David L Tarnoki
- Department of Radiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Hungarian Twin Registry, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Yoshie Yokoyama
- Department of Public Health Nursing, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - John L Hopper
- The Australian Twin Registry, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia.,Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ruth J F Loos
- The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Thorkild I A Sørensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research (Section on Metabolic Genetics), and Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Institute of Preventive Medicine, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospitals, Copenhagen, The Capital Region Denmark
| | - Karri Silventoinen
- Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Jaakko Kaprio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine FIMM, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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