Heritability of Cold and Heat Patterns: A Twin Study

Area of Science:

• Traditional East Asian Medicine
• Genetics
• Twin Studies

Background:

• Cold-heat patterns are integral to traditional East Asian medicine for disease diagnosis and treatment.
• Understanding the etiological factors, including genetic contributions, of these patterns is crucial for clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the heritability of cold pattern (CP) and heat pattern (HP) in a twin sample.
• To explore the genetic and environmental influences on cold-heat patterns in adolescents and young adults.

Main Methods:

• A cold-heat pattern questionnaire was administered to 1,753 twins in South Korea.
• Twin correlation analyses were performed for monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins.
• Model-fitting analysis was used to estimate heritability and unique environmental variances.

Main Results:

• Twin correlations indicated significant genetic effects for both CP and HP.
• Heritability estimates were 40% (95% CI [38, 42]) for CP and 33% (95% CI [25, 42]) for HP.
• Heritability estimates remained consistent across adolescence and young adulthood.

Conclusions:

• Cold-heat patterns in traditional East Asian medicine have a substantial genetic component.
• Both genetic factors and unique environmental influences contribute to the manifestation of cold-heat patterns.
• The genetic heritability of these patterns is stable during adolescence and young adulthood.