Differential heritability of eating attitudes and behaviors in prepubertal versus pubertal twins.
OBJECTIVE
Differential heritability of eating pathology in prepubertal, pubertal, and 17-year-old twins was examined using a population-based twin sample.


METHODS
Participants included 530 11-year-old (452 prepubertal, 78 pubertal twins) and 602 17-year-old female twins from the Minnesota Twin Family Study. Puberty was assessed with the Pubertal Development Scale, and general eating pathology was assessed with the total score from the Minnesota Eating Disorders Inventory (M-EDI).


RESULTS
M-EDI total score intraclass correlations for the pubertal 11-year-old group were more similar to the 17-year-old twins' than the prepubertal 11-year-old twins, suggesting similar levels of genetic influence in the pubertal and older adolescent cohort. Model-fitting corroborated these impressions, indicating that genetic factors accounted for 0% of the variance in 11-year-old prepubertal twins but 54% of the variance in 11-year-old pubertal and 17-year-old twins.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that a portion of the genetic influence on eating pathology may become activated during puberty.
Klump
Kelly L
KL
Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 129 Psychology Research Building, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. klump@msu.edu
McGue
Matt
M
Iacono
William G
WG
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011627:Puberty / Q000523:psychology*