title: Heritability and genetic correlations of obesity-related phenotypes among Roma people.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Roma people are particularly vulnerable to developing obesity and related diseases, due to their social and ethnic backgrounds. However, little is known about the genetic and/or environmental factors affecting the variability of obesity-related traits among the Roma population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to estimate heritabilities and common genetic and environmental influences of obesity-related phenotypes in a sample of Roma people living in the Greater Bilbao region (Basque Country; Spain).
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and seventy-two individuals from 50 large, extended and highly consanguineous pedigrees were phenotyped for anthropometric traits related to obesity. Heritability estimates were assessed for all quantitative traits and bivariate analyses were conducted to assess the phenotypic, genetic and environmental correlations among these traits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant heritable components (p<0.01) ranging from 0.25-0.68 exist for the studied phenotypes. Heritability for WHR (h(2) =0.60) considerably surpasses the usual heritability estimates on family-based studies ( <0.30). Measures of overall fatness (BMI, CF and SF) show stronger correlations with each other than body fat distribution traits (WHR, CI and TER).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study concluded that the Greater Bilbao Roma population is genetically predisposed to abdominal fat distribution. Variation in body mass is highly associated with variation in adiposity. However, overall fatness and adiposity distribution does not seem to share major common genetic factors, although common environmental factors operate between them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bilbao 48080, Spain. alaitz.poveda@ehu.es
authors.forename: Alaitz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poveda
authors.forename: Ma Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rebato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D040582:Inheritance Patterns / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D013030:Spain / Q000208:ethnology