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Education modifies genetic and environmental influences on BMI
Wendy Johnson1, Kirsten Ohm Kyvik, Axel Skytthe
1Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. wendy.johnson@ed.ac.uk
Plos One
|February 2, 2011
Summary
Higher education is linked to lower obesity rates, especially in women. Familial environmental factors significantly contribute to this association, influencing both educational attainment and body mass index (BMI).
Area of Science:
- Behavioral genetics
- Epidemiology
- Human genetics
Background:
- Obesity prevalence varies with educational attainment, suggesting environmental influences.
- Genetic and environmental factors contribute to obesity predisposition.
- These factors may interact differently based on education levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how genetic and environmental influences on body mass index (BMI) differ across educational levels.
- To examine the correlations between education and BMI, considering genetic and environmental components.
- To analyze these relationships separately for men and women.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 21,522 twins from the Danish Twin Registry.
- Collected information on zygosity, height, weight, and education.
- Employed quantitative genetic modeling to analyze variance and correlations in BMI by education level.
Main Results:
- Negative correlations between education and BMI were observed (-.13 in women, -.15 in men).
- Higher education was associated with reduced BMI variance, particularly in women.
- In men, genetic variance in BMI remained constant across education levels, while environmental variance differed.
- Shared environmental factors substantially linked higher education with lower BMI, especially in well-educated individuals.
Conclusions:
- Educational attainment is inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI).
- Familial environmental influences play a significant role in the relationship between education and lower obesity.
- Interventions targeting shared environmental factors may be crucial for addressing educational disparities in obesity.
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