Familial concordance for height and its components: analyses from the Breakthrough Generations Study

Area of Science:

• Human genetics
• Anthropometry
• Quantitative genetics

Background:

• Familial resemblance for anthropometric traits like height is well-established.
• However, the aggregation of specific body proportions, such as leg:trunk length ratio and arm length, within families requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate familial resemblance for height, arm span, and their components (leg length, trunk length, arm length, leg:trunk ratio).
• To compare the concordance rates for short versus tall stature among female relatives.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of anthropometric data from 31,622 related individuals (aged 16-102) in the UK Breakthrough Generations Study.
• Correlations and Poisson regression were used to assess familial similarity and relative risks for extreme heights.

Main Results:

• Significant familial correlations were found for height (0.4), arm span (0.3), leg length (0.5), trunk length (0.5), leg:trunk ratio (0.5), and arm length (0.5).
• Women had a 2.3-3.7 times higher risk of being short if their mother or father was short, and 2.3-4.4 times higher risk if both parents were tall.
• Concordance for tall stature was observed to be stronger than for short stature.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first evidence that leg:trunk length ratio and arm length aggregate within families.
• Familial aggregation of height and its components is significant, with stronger concordance observed for tall stature compared to short stature.