Genetic and environmental influences on infant weight and weight change: The Fels longitudinal study

Abstract

Despite significant progress in understanding the mechanisms by which the prenatal/maternal environment can alter development and adult health, genetic influences on normal variation in growth are little understood. This work examines genetic and nongenetic contributions to body weight and weight change during infancy and the relationships between weight change and adult body composition. The dataset included 501 white infants in 164 nuclear and extended families in the Fels Longitudinal Study, each with 10 serial measures of weight from birth to age 3 years and 232 with body composition data in mid-adulthood. Heritability and covariate effects on weight and weight z-score change from birth to 2 years of age were estimated using a maximum likelihood variance decomposition method. Additive genetic effects explained a high proportion of the variance in infant weight status (h2=0.61-0.95), and change in weight z-score (h2=0.56-0.82). Covariate effects explained 27% of the phenotypic variance at 0-1 month of age and declined in effect to 6.9% of phenotypic variance by 36 months. Significant sex, gestational age, birth order, birth year, and maternal body mass index effects were also identified. For both sexes, a significant increase in weight z-score (>2 SD units) (upward centile crossing) was associated with greater adulthood stature, fat mass, and percent body fat than decrease or stability in weight z-score. Understanding genetic influences on growth rate in a well-nourished, nutritionally stable population may help us interpret the causes and consequences of centile crossing in nutritionally compromised contexts.

Rapid weight gain after birth predicts life history and reproductive strategy in Filipino males

“…Genes with pleiotropic effects could lead to genetic correlations between infancy growth and adult outcomes, as shown for other traits (44). Although there is evidence for moderate heritability of early growth in well nourished populations (45,46), no heritability estimates have been calculated under conditions of nutritional stress and growth faltering, which were common in the Cebu cohort during infancy. Future studies should strive to incorporate analysis of growth-influencing genotypes (47), which could contribute to, or moderate, the associations we document.…”

Genetic and Environmental Components of Neonatal Weight Gain in Preterm Infants

“…This is slightly higher than others previously reported. 7,14 The reason might lie in the very homogeneous set of infants, identified by applying stringent inclusion criteria. The identification of these factors, which yield a high estimate of heritability, makes them very useful in future research when looking for PWG-associated genes.…”

“…6,7 In particular, Spiegler et al, 8 who studied weight gain during the first weeks of life, reported a strong genetic influence on postnatal growth in preterm infants. Their case series included major diseases such as sepsis, intracranial hemorrhage, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.…”

Reward Deficiency Syndrome in Children: Obesity and Metabolic Disorders are Associated with the SNP TaqIA C32806T of the DRD2 Gene

“…5 Studies show that heredity is an important factor for childhood-onset obesity. 6,7 The largest study concerning the genetics of childhood obesity, where 5530 cases and 8318 controls were evaluated, showed a strong genetic influence in the development of childhood obesity. 8 The dopamine type-2 receptor (DRD2) gene contains 66.097 pb, it is located on chromosome 11 (q22-q23) and encodes the D2 subtype of the dopamine receptor, a transmembrane protein that couple to G-protein and inhibits adenylyl cyclase activity.…”