Genetic and environmental influences on adult human height across birth cohorts from 1886 to 1994

• Published in: eLife Vol. 5
• Main Authors: Jelenkovic, Aline, Hur, Yoon-Mi, Sund, Reijo, Yokoyama, Yoshie, Siribaddana, Sisira H, Hotopf, Matthew, Sumathipala, Athula, Rijsdijk, Fruhling, Tan, Qihua, Zhang, Dongfeng, Pang, Zengchang, Aaltonen, Sari, Heikkilä, Kauko, Öncel, Sevgi Y, Aliev, Fazil, Rebato, Esther, Tarnoki, Adam D, Tarnoki, David L, Christensen, Kaare, Skytthe, Axel, Kyvik, Kirsten O, Silberg, Judy L, Eaves, Lindon J, Maes, Hermine H, Cutler, Tessa L, Hopper, John L, Ordoñana, Juan R, Sánchez-Romera, Juan F, Colodro-Conde, Lucia, Cozen, Wendy, Hwang, Amie E, Mack, Thomas M, Sung, Joohon, Song, Yun-Mi, Yang, Sarah, Lee, Kayoung, Franz, Carol E, Kremen, William S, Lyons, Michael J, Busjahn, Andreas, Nelson, Tracy L, Whitfield, Keith E, Kandler, Christian, Jang, Kerry L, Gatz, Margaret, Butler, David A, Stazi, Maria A, Fagnani, Corrado, D'Ippolito, Cristina, Duncan, Glen E, Buchwald, Dedra, Derom, Catherine A, Vlietinck, Robert F, Loos, Ruth Jf, Martin, Nicholas G, Medland, Sarah E, Montgomery, Grant W, Jeong, Hoe-Uk, Swan, Gary E, Krasnow, Ruth, Magnusson, Patrik Ke, Pedersen, Nancy L, Dahl-Aslan, Anna K, McAdams, Tom A, Eley, Thalia C, Gregory, Alice M, Tynelius, Per, Baker, Laura A, Tuvblad, Catherine, Bayasgalan, Gombojav, Narandalai, Danshiitsoodol, Lichtenstein, Paul, Spector, Timothy D, Mangino, Massimo, Lachance, Genevieve, Bartels, Meike, van Beijsterveldt, Toos Cem, Willemsen, Gonneke, Burt, S Alexandra, Klump, Kelly L, Harris, Jennifer R, Brandt, Ingunn, Nilsen, Thomas Sevenius, Krueger, Robert F, McGue, Matt, Pahlen, Shandell, Corley, Robin P, Hjelmborg, Jacob V B, Goldberg, Jack H, Iwatani, Yoshinori, Watanabe, Mikio, Honda, Chika, Inui, Fujio, Rasmussen, Finn, Huibregtse, Brooke M, Boomsma, Dorret I, Sørensen, Thorkild I A, Kaprio, Jaakko, Silventoinen, Karri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 14.12.2016; eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Asia; Australia; Birth; birth cohorts; Body height; Body Height - genetics; CODATwins project; Cohort Studies; Environmental Exposure; Environmental factors; Epidemiology; Europe; Female; Genetic diversity; genetic variability; Genetics; Genomes; Global Health; Health care; Health sciences; height; Heritability; Hospitals; human; Human Biology and Medicine; Humans; Hypotheses; Male; Medical research; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Mens health; meta analysis; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Multiple births; North America; Preventive medicine; Public health; Short Report; Standard of living; Twins; Womens health; Young Adult; Australia; United States > US; North America; Europe; human biology; twins; CODATwins project; birth cohorts; medicine; human; height; heritability
• ISSN: 2050-084X; 2050-084X
• DOI: 10.7554/elife.20320

Human height variation is determined by genetic and environmental factors, but it remains unclear whether their influences differ across birth-year cohorts. We conducted an individual-based pooled analysis of 40 twin cohorts including 143,390 complete twin pairs born 1886-1994. Although genetic variance showed a generally increasing trend across the birth-year cohorts, heritability estimates (0.69-0.84 in men and 0.53-0.78 in women) did not present any clear pattern of secular changes. Comparing geographic-cultural regions (Europe, North America and Australia, and East Asia), total height variance was greatest in North America and Australia and lowest in East Asia, but no clear pattern in the heritability estimates across the birth-year cohorts emerged. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that heritability of height is lower in populations with low living standards than in affluent populations, nor that heritability of height will increase within a population as living standards improve.