• About
  • Masthead
  • License Content
  • Advertise
  • Submit Press Release
  • RSS/Email List
  • 2MM Podcast
  • Write for us
  • Contact Us
2 Minute Medicine
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

SUBSCRIBE
  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan+
  • Classics™+
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
2 Minute Medicine
  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan+
  • Classics™+
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
SUBSCRIBE
2 Minute Medicine
Subscribe
Home All Specialties Chronic Disease

Association of a genetic risk score with body mass index across several birth cohorts

bySusy LamandMichael Milligan
July 6, 2016
in Chronic Disease, Endocrinology, Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

1. This observational study found that BMI is associated with a genetic risk score calculated from multiple loci.

2. This association is present in both white and black cohorts, with the magnitude of the association strengthening in more recent birth cohorts.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Study Rundown: The obesity epidemic in the USA has impacted a significant proportion of the population, irrespective of race, age, and sex. While many environmental and behavioral factors have influenced this epidemic, genetics also likely plays a role. For instance, genetic factors may affect the metabolism of nutrients and could shape behavioral responses, like appetite and satiety. Previous studies have revealed that the environment in the USA has become more ‘obesogenic’ over time, and the authors of this study hypothesized that genetics likely affect our responses to such an environment. Utilizing genome wide association studies, this study calculated a polygenetic risk score for BMI (GRS-BMI) in successive birth cohorts of a national sample of US adults, and evaluated how the association with actual BMI changed over time. The results showed a correlation between GRS-BMI and actual BMI in both white and black cohorts. What’s more, the association has strengthened over time. Given that individuals born more recently have been exposed to the ‘obesogenic’ environment of the USA from a younger age, this result appears to confirm the authors’ primary hypothesis.

This observational study extends prior findings of genetic associations with obesity and supports the notion that genetic-environmental interactions affect obesity. However, the study is limited in a few key ways. Direct measures of the ‘obesogeneity’ of different environments were not performed, and the study did not take into account large historical events that may have influenced the results, such as the Great Depression. Additionally, the study relied on self-reported measurements of height and weight for BMI calculations, which may have introduced inaccuracies into the results. Overall, the study suggests that specific genetic variations can be modified by ‘obesogenic’ environments to affect BMI.

Click to read the study, pubilshed today in JAMA

RELATED REPORTS

Mazdutide significantly reduces weight in adults with overweight or obesity

Body mass index-specific waist circumference thresholds may improve mortality risk stratification in women

Tirzepatide-associated improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors linked to degree of weight loss

Relevant Reading: The influence of age and sex on genetic associations with adult body size and shape.

In-Depth [retrospective cohort]: This study quantified the association between BMI and a polygenetic risk score for BMI in black and white US participants aged 50 years and older. The primary outcome measure was the self-reported height and weight of each participant, used to calculate BMI. Genetic samples were obtained from each participant, and a multilocus genetic risk score (GRS-BMI) was calculated based on a weighted sum of alleles of 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms. A total of 8788 subjects, born between 1900 and 1958, were studied and had their BMI assessed between 1992 and 2014.

The GRS-BMI was significantly associated with BMI among white (n = 7482; mean age at first assessment, 59 years, 45% male; p < 0.001), and black participants (n = 1306; mean age at first assessment, 57 years, 39% male; p < 0.001). The magnitude of the association was larger for more recent birth cohorts. In white participants born before 1924 each unit increase in GRS-BMI was associated with a BMI increase of 0.17 (95%CI -0.55 to 0.89), while those born after 1943 had a BMI increase of 1.37 (95%CI 0.93 to 1.80). Among black participants born before 1924 and after 1943 respectively, the association increased from 1.44 (95%CI -1.40 to 4.29) to 3.70 (95%CI 2.42 to 4.97).

Image: PD

©2016 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. Inquire about licensing here. No article should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2 Minute Medicine, Inc.

Tags: genetic factorsobesity
Previous Post

Deutetrabenazine effectively treats Huntington’s chorea with minimal side effects

Next Post

2 Minute Medicine Rewind July 4, 2016

RelatedReports

Increasing maternal BMI linked to higher risk of cerebral palsy
Cardiology

Mazdutide significantly reduces weight in adults with overweight or obesity

July 11, 2025
Majority of obese tenth-graders already obese by fifth grade
Chronic Disease

Body mass index-specific waist circumference thresholds may improve mortality risk stratification in women

July 7, 2025
Sleep duration inversely related to childhood type 2 diabetes risk makers
Cardiology

Tirzepatide-associated improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors linked to degree of weight loss

June 23, 2025
#VisualAbstract: Once-Weekly Mazdutide Reduced Body Weight in Obese or Overweight Chinese Adults
StudyGraphics

#VisualAbstract: Once-Weekly Mazdutide Reduced Body Weight in Obese or Overweight Chinese Adults

June 16, 2025
Next Post
Phase III trial shows survival benefit for early multiple myeloma

2 Minute Medicine Rewind July 4, 2016

Unpaid caregivers of older adults experience emotional, physical, and financial difficulty

Bleeding risk mildly increased amongst the very elderly taking Vitamin K antagonists

Breast cancer chemoprevention may reduce mortality in lobular carcinoma-in-situ

Adaptive treatment using veliparib-carboplatin shows benefit in breast cancer

2 Minute Medicine® is an award winning, physician-run, expert medical media company. Our content is curated, written and edited by practicing health professionals who have clinical and scientific expertise in their field of reporting. Our editorial management team is comprised of highly-trained MD physicians. Join numerous brands, companies, and hospitals who trust our licensed content.

Recent Reports

  • Mazdutide significantly reduces weight in adults with overweight or obesity
  • Oral vancomycin may be effective for pouchitis in inflammatory bowel disease
  • Inebilizumab improves outcome in patients generalized myasthenia gravis
License Content
Terms of Use | Disclaimer
Cookie Policy
Privacy Statement (EU)
Disclaimer

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.

  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
No Result
View All Result

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.