Familial aggregation and heritability of waist-to-hip ratio in adult women: the Iowa Women's Health Study.
The aim of this study was to assess evidence that genetic factors influence body fat distribution. First-degree relatives of 324 cancer-free females in a population-based prospective study of 41,837 women (99% white) between the ages of 55 and 69 at baseline in 1986 were studied. A total of 396 living sisters (mean age 65.7 years) and 446 living daughters (mean age 41.2 years) were identified through a mailed 'family tree' questionnaire sent to each participant. Family members were mailed a questionnaire to obtain self-reported measures of current height and weight. A paper tape measure and written instructions were enclosed to obtain waist and hip circumferences. The age-adjusted mother-daughters correlations for waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index (kg/m2) were 0.19 and 0.23, respectively (P < 0.05 using Fisher's z-transformation). The corresponding sister-sister correlations were 0.23 and 0.19, respectively (P < 0.05). The sister-sister correlations were not significantly different from the mother-daughter correlations. After adjustment for body mass index the mother-daughter correlation for waist-to-hip ratio increased to 0.20 and the sister-sister correlation increased to 0.26. These familial correlations suggest that genes and common environment may contribute 40 to 50% of the total variance of waist-to-hip ratio in white women in the Midwest.
Sellers
T A
TA
Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55454.
Drinkard
C
C
Rich
S S
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Potter
J D
JD
Jeffery
R W
RW
Hong
C P
CP
Folsom
A R
AR
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000886:Anthropometry; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000235:genetics*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D008019:Life Style; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires