Genetic and environmental influences on height from infancy to early adulthood: An individual-based pooled analysis of 45 twin cohorts

• DOI: 10.1038/srep28496
• Publication Date: 2016-06-23T18:13:20Z
• Authors: Aline Jelenkovic; Reijo Sund; Yoon-Mi Hur; Yoshie Yokoyama; Jacob v. B. Hjelm...; Sören Möller; Chika Honda; Patrik K. E. Magn...; Nancy L. Pedersen; Syuichi Ooki; Sari Aaltonen; Maria A. Stazi; Corrado Fagnani; Cristina D’Ippolito; Duarte L. Freitas; José Antonio Maia; Fuling Ji; Feng Ning; Zengchang Pang; Esther Rebato; Andreas Busjahn; Christian Kandler; Kimberly J. Saudino; Kerry L. Jang; Wendy Cozen; Amie E. Hwang; Thomas M. Mack; Wenjing Gao; Canqing Yu; Liming Li; Robin P. Corley; Brooke M. Huibregtse; Catherine A. Derom; Robert F. Vlietinck; Ruth J. F. Loos; Kauko Heikkilä; Jane Wardle; Clare H. Llewellyn; Abigail Fisher; Tom A. McAdams; Thalia C. Eley; Alice M. Gregory; Mingguang He; Xiaohu Ding; Morten Bjerregaar...; Henning Beck-Nielsen; Morten Sodemann; Adam D. Tarnoki; David L. Tarnoki; Ariel Knafo-Noam; David Mankuta; Lior Abramson; S. Alexandra Burt; Kelly L. Klump; Judy L. Silberg; Lindon J. Eaves; Hermine H. Maes; Robert F. Krueger; Matt McGue; Shandell Pahlen; Margaret Gatz; David A. Butler; Meike Bartels; Toos C. E. M. van...; Jeffrey M. Craig; Richard Saffery; Lise Dubois; Michel Boivin; Mara Brendgen; Ginette Dionne; Frank Vitaro; Nicholas G. Martin; Sarah E. Medland; Grant W. Montgomery; Gary E. Swan; Ruth Krasnow; Per Tynelius; Paul Lichtenstein; Claire M. A. Haworth; Robert Plomin; Gombojav Bayasgalan; Danshiitsoodol Na...; K. Paige Harden; Elliot M. Tucker-...; Timothy Spector; Massimo Mangino; Genevieve Lachance; Laura A. Baker; Catherine Tuvblad; Glen E. Duncan; Dedra Buchwald; Gonneke Willemsen; Axel Skytthe; Kirsten O. Kyvik; Kaare Christensen; Sevgi Y. Öncel; Fazil Aliev; Finn Rasmussen; Jack H. Goldberg; Thorkild I. A. Sø...; Dorret I. Boomsma; Jaakko Kaprio; Karri Silventoinen
• Keywords: Variation (astronomy); Geographic variation

Abstract Height variation is known to be determined by both genetic and environmental factors, but a systematic description of how their influences differ sex, age global regions lacking. We conducted an individual-based pooled analysis 45 twin cohorts from 20 countries, including 180,520 paired measurements at ages 1–19 years. The proportion height explained shared factors was greatest in early childhood, these effects remained present until adulthood. Accordingly, the relative contribution increased with adolescence (up 0.83 boys 0.76 girls). Comparing geographic-cultural (Europe, North-America Australia East-Asia), variance lowest East-Asia, roughly similar across regions. Our findings provide further insights into during childhood populations representing different ethnicities exposed environments.