title: Genetic and environmental factors in associations between infant growth and adult cardiometabolic risk profile in twins.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accelerated infant growth is associated with an altered, mostly adverse adult cardiometabolic risk profile. The importance of genetic and environmental factors to these associations is unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to examine the importance of genetic and environmental factors in the associations between infant growth and adult cardiometabolic risk factors (anthropometric characteristics, lipids, insulin sensitivity, leptin, blood pressure, and fibrinogen) in twins.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed in 240 twin pairs (aged 18-34 y) from the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey. Infant growth was defined as change in weight z score. We regressed intrapair differences in growth during 4 growth windows (0-1, 1-6, 6-12, and 12-24 mo) against intrapair differences in the risk factors in monozygotic and dizygotic twins separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within monozygotic twin pairs only, associations between infant growth and most adult lipids, glucose, leptin, and blood pressure (eg, systolic blood pressure: b = 5.95 mm Hg per change in z score, P = 0.01 in monozygotic twins; b = -1.64, P = 0.82 in dizygotic twins from 12 to 24 mo) were found. Within dizygotic twin pairs only, associations between growth and triglycerides and fibrinogen (eg, fibrinogen: b = 0.07 ln mg/dL per change in z score, P = 0.31 in monozygotic twins; b = 0.79, P = 0.01 in dizygotic twins from 0 to 1 mo) were identified. Most associations showed a detrimental effect of accelerated growth, but beneficial associations were also identified (eg, total-to-high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol ratio: b = -0.22 per change in z score from 1 to 6 mo, P = 0.008 in monozygotic twins).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data showed that environmental factors play a role in the associations between infant growth and most adult lipids, glucose, leptin, and blood pressure, whereas genetic factors are involved regarding triglycerides and fibrinogen.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, NUTRIM, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands; GROW, Maastricht School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robbert N H
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Touwslager
authors.forename: Marij
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gielen
authors.forename: Antonius L M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: Willem J M
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Gerver
authors.forename: Luc J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Pieter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Dagnelie
authors.forename: Alfons J H M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Houben
authors.forename: Coen D A
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Stehouwer
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Derom
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vlietinck
authors.forename: Ruth J F
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Loos
authors.forename: Maurice P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Zeegers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014427:Twins; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D020738:Leptin; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D005340:Fibrinogen