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Genetic and environmental influences on chest circumference during infancy: a longitudinal study of japanese twins

Karri Silventoinen1, Jaakko Kaprio, Leo Dunkel

  • 1Population Research Unit, Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 18, 00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. karri.silventoinen@helsinki.fi

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
|October 16, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Chest circumference (CC) is influenced by early nutrition. While environmental factors dominate at birth, genetic factors increasingly influence CC development throughout the first year, indicating heritability. This measure can identify infants with suboptimal prenatal conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Human Genetics
  • Developmental Biology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Chest circumference (CC) is a potential indicator of early life nutrition.
  • Limited data exists on the heritability of chest circumference.
  • Understanding genetic and environmental influences on CC is crucial for infant development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the effects of genetic and environmental factors on chest circumference (CC) development in Japanese infants.
  • To determine the heritability of CC from birth to one year of age.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal measurement of CC from birth to 1 year in 211 monozygotic and 160 dizygotic Japanese twin pairs.
  • Application of structural linear equation modeling for twin data analysis.
  • Investigation of sex-specific differences in variance components.

Main Results:

  • Environmental factors unique to each twin were primary at birth; shared environmental factors were more significant at 1-3 months.
  • Genetic factors increasingly influenced CC variation from 3 months, explaining the majority by 1 year.
  • Strong genetic continuity was observed, with new gene activation during the first year; environmental origins traced to before 3 months.
  • Common and specific environmental factors affecting CC also impacted birth weight.

Conclusions:

  • Chest circumference (CC) is sensitive to intrauterine environmental factors, with diminishing effects under good postnatal conditions.
  • CC serves as a valuable indicator for identifying newborns experiencing suboptimal prenatal environments.
  • Genetic factors play a progressively significant role in CC development during infancy.
Abstract

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