Multivariate analysis of genetic and environmental influences for longitudinal height and weight data

A multivariate analysis of genetic and environmental influences on longitudinal height and weight data from a Swedish twin sample is presented. For height in boys, genetic correlations of all ages with the first time point decrease during puberty and increase afterwards. A more linear pattern is evident for the girls. For weight in boys, genetic and environmental correlations are similar to the ones for height. Genetic correlations for girls are stable with age, while environmental correlations peak at 13.5 years and decrease drastically thereafter. The patterns for height and weight in boys suggest that a new set of genes may be turned on during puberty and turned off again afterwards. The pattern found for weight in girls indicates that a simple additive genetic model is not appropriate. It is necessary, however, to apply the model to actual data from several time points to recognize the inadequacy of the model.