scholarly journals Causes of Variation in Food Preference in the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-203
Author(s):  
Jacqueline M. Vink ◽  
Kirsten J. M. van Hooijdonk ◽  
Gonneke Willemsen ◽  
Edith J. M. Feskens ◽  
Dorret I. Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Food Preference ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

AbstractOur current society is characterized by an increased availability of industrially processed foods with high salt, fat and sugar content. How is it that some people prefer these unhealthy foods while others prefer more healthy foods? It is suggested that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. The aim of this study was to (1) identify food preference clusters in the largest twin-family study into food preference to date and (2) determine the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in food preference in the Netherlands. Principal component analysis was performed to identify the preference clusters by using data on food liking/disliking from 16,541 adult multiples and their family members. To estimate the heritability of food preference, the data of 7833 twins were used in structural equation models. We identified seven food preference clusters (Meat, Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Savory snacks, Sweet snacks and Spices) and one cluster with Drinks. Broad-sense heritability (additive [A] + dominant [D] genetic factors) for these clusters varied between .36 and .60. Dominant genetic effects were found for the clusters Fruit, Fish (males only) and Spices. Quantitative sex differences were found for Meat, Fish and Savory snacks and Drinks. To conclude, our study convincingly showed that genetic factors play a significant role in food preference. A next important step is to identify these genes because genetic vulnerability for food preference is expected to be linked to actual food consumption and different diet-related disorders.

A Male Monozygotic Twinship Discordant for Homosexuality

1971 ◽  
Vol 118 (547) ◽  
pp. 675-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Davison ◽  
H. Brierley ◽  
C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Prison Population ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Monozygotic Twin ◽  
The Third ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Quantitative Rating ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Sexual Identification

The relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the development of homosexual behaviour is a controversial subject. The original suggestion that homosexuality is a purely inherited trait has been attributed to Krafft-Ebing (Kallmann, 1952). Perhaps the strongest support for this view was Kallmann's series of 40 male monozygotic twin pairs showing 100 per cent concordance for the overt practice and quantitative rating of homosexual behaviour (Kallmann, 1952). This report has been criticized, and Kallmann later conceded that the 100 per cent concordance was possibly a statistical artefact (Kallmann, 1960). Habel (1950), who obtained the index twins from a prison population, found concordant homosexuality in 3 out of 5 monozygotic pairs (60 per cent), but none of 5 dizygotic pairs. In a more recent study, Heston and Shields (1968) found concordant homosexuality in 2 out of 5 monozygotic pairs (40 per cent) and 1 out of 7 dizygotic pairs (14 per cent). Heston and Shields (1968) also report a family with a sibship of 14 which included 3 pairs of male monozygotic twins, in two of which both twins were homosexual and in the third both heterosexual; no environmental factors which differentiated the homosexual from the heterosexual sibs could be detected. These workers also refute the suggestion that the tendency for monozygotic twins to be more alike with regard to homosexuality than dizygotic twins is related not to genetic factors but to problems of sexual identification which predispose to homosexuality (Money, 1962) by pointing out that there is no evidence that monozygotic twins per se are especially prone to become homosexual.

scholarly journals Heritability of Type 2 Diabetes in the Washington State Twin Registry

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ally R. Avery ◽  
Glen E. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Twin Registry ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Adult Twins

AbstractApproximately 12% of U.S. adults have type 2 diabetes (T2D). Diagnosed T2D is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors including age and lifestyle. In adults 45 years and older, the Discordant Twin (DISCOTWIN) consortium of twin registries from Europe and Australia showed a moderate-to-high contribution of genetic factors of T2D with a pooled heritability of 72%. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of genetic and environmental factors of T2D in twins 45 years and older in a U.S. twin cohort (Washington State Twin Registry, WSTR) and compare the estimates to the DISCOTWIN consortium. We also compared these estimates with twins under the age of 45. Data were obtained from 2692 monozygotic (MZ) and same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs over 45 and 4217 twin pairs under 45 who responded to the question ‘Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with (type 2) diabetes?’ Twin similarity was analyzed using both tetrachoric correlations and structural equation modeling. Overall, 9.4% of MZ and 14.7% of DZ twins over the age of 45 were discordant for T2D in the WSTR, compared to 5.1% of MZ and 8% of DZ twins in the DISCOTWIN consortium. Unlike the DISCOTWIN consortium in which heritability was 72%, heritability was only 52% in the WSTR. In twins under the age of 45, heritability did not contribute to the variance in T2D. In a U.S. sample of adult twins, environmental factors appear to be increasingly important in the development of T2D.

scholarly journals Associations Between Obesity Indicators and Blood Pressure in Chinese Adult Twins

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunxiao Liao ◽  
Wenjing Gao ◽  
Weihua Cao ◽  
Jun Lv ◽  
Canqing Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
General Obesity ◽  
Chinese Adult ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Adult Twins

Obesity is associated with blood pressure (BP), but the associations between different obesity indicators and BP have not reached agreement. Besides, both obesity and BP are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Whether they share the same genetic or environmental etiology has not been fully understood. We therefore analyzed the relationship between different obesity indicators and BP components as well as the genetic and environmental contributions to these relationships in a Chinese adult twin sample. Twins aged 18–79 years (n = 941) were included in this study. Body mass index (BMI) was used as the index of general obesity, whereas waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were used as the indicators of central obesity. BP components included systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Linear regression models and bivariate structural equation models were used to examine the relation of various obesity indicators with BP components, and genetic or environmental influences on these associations, respectively. A strong association of BP components with BMI—and a somewhat weaker association with WC, WHtR, and WHR—was found in both sexes, independent of familial factors. Of these phenotypic correlations between obesity indicators and BP components, 60–76% were attributed to genetic factors, whereas 24–40% were attributed to unique environmental factors. General obesity was most strongly associated with high BP in Chinese adult twins. There were common genetic backgrounds for obesity and BP, and unique environmental factors also played a role.

scholarly journals Religious Upbringing and Neuroticism in Dutch Twin Families

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonneke Willemsen ◽  
Dorret I. Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Longitudinal Survey ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Twin Families

AbstractEvidence for a relation between neuroticism and religion is scarce and inconsistent. The aims of the present study were to determine the association of religious upbringing with adult neuroticism scores and to examine the effect of religious upbringing on the heritability of neuroticism. As part of a longitudinal survey of twin families from the Netherlands Twin Register, data were collected on neuroticism and religious upbringing. Restricting the sample to persons aged 25 and over resulted in a sample of 4369 twins and 1304 siblings from 2698 families. Religious upbringing was significantly associated with neuroticism; in both men and women neuroticism levels were lower in those who had received a religious upbringing. There were no sex or twinsibling differences in neuroticism variances and covariances. Structural equation modeling showed differences in heritability between those with and without religious upbringing. In the group with religious upbringing, variation in neuroticism was determined for 41% by additive genetic factors and for the remaining 59% by unique environmental factors. In the group who had not received a religious upbringing, variation in neuroticism was determined for 55% by genetic factors, with evidence for both additive and nonadditive factors, and for the remaining 45% by unique environmental influences. In conclusion, having received a religious upbringing is associated with lower neuroticism scores and a lower heritability in adulthood.

scholarly journals Evidence That Pupil Size and Reactivity Are Determined More by Your Parents Than by Your Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdus Samad Ansari ◽  
Jelle Vehof ◽  
Christopher J. Hammond ◽  
Fion D. Bremner ◽  
Katie M. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Pupil Diameter ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Bright Light ◽  
Genetic Effects ◽  
Light Reaction

Purpose: A classic twin study to evaluate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to resting pupil size and reactivity.Methods: Pupillometry was performed on 326 female twins (mean age 64 years) from the TwinsUK Adult Twin Registry, assessing resting pupil diameter in darkness and increasing levels of ambient light, alongside dynamic pupillary characteristics. Maximum-likelihood structural equation models estimated the proportion of trait variance attributable to genetic factors.Results: Mean (SD) pupil diameter in darkness was 5.29 mm (0.81), decreasing to 3.24 mm (0.57) in bright light. Pupil light reaction (PLR) had a mean (SD) amplitude of 1.38 mm (0.27) and latency of 250.34 milliseconds (28.58). Pupil size and PLR were not associated with iris colour, intraocular pressure or refractive error, but were associated with age (diameter β = −0.02, p = 0.016, constriction amplitude β = −0.01, p < 0.001, velocity β = 0.03, p < 0.001, and latency β = 0.98, p < 0.001). In darkness the resting pupil size showed a MZ intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.85, almost double that of DZ (0.44), suggesting strong additive genetic effects, with the most parsimonious model estimating a heritability of 86% [95% confidence interval (CI) 79–90%] with 14% (95% CI 10–21%) explained by unique environmental factors. PLR amplitude, latency and constriction velocity had estimated heritabilities of 69% (95% CI 54–79%), 40% (95% CI 21–56%), and 64% (95% CI 48–75%), respectively.Conclusion: Genetic effects are key determinants of resting pupil size and reactivity. Future studies to identify these genetic factors could improve our understanding of variation in pupil size and pupillary reactions in health and disease.

INTERACTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC FACTORS IN KLINEFELTER'S SYNDROME

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-120
Author(s):  
Martha F. Leonard ◽  
Leon Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Critical Appraisal ◽  
Genetic Diagnosis ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Genetic Abnormality ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors

The complexity of the interaction of genetic and environmental factors on human behavior is both a fascination and a frustration. It is fascinating to try to assess the relative contribution of each factor to the development and personality of individual patients. It is frustrating to try to separate genetic and environmental influences, which begin to interact even before birth. Any investigator who reports behavioral characteristics of patients with a genetic abnormality has the important responsibility to document the genetic diagnosis and to include data about psychosocial factors, so that the reader may make a critical appraisal of his conclusions with regard to multiple interacting influences on development.

Distribution and Heritability of Recurrent Ear Infections

1997 ◽  
Vol 106 (8) ◽  
pp. 624-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari J. Kvaerner ◽  
Jennifer R. Harris ◽  
Kristian Tambs ◽  
Per Magnus
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Genes And Environment ◽  
Ear Infections ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Familial Environment

The distribution of recurrent ear infections was obtained from a population-based sample of 2,750 pairs of Norwegian twins born between 1967 and 1974. The lifetime prevalence of self-reported recurrent ear infections was 8.9%, with a significant predominance of female cases. The mean age of onset was 4.2 years, with a gradual decrease in occurrence from 2 to 7 years of age. Among monozygotic pairs, the rate of tetrachoric correlation between co-twins was almost identical in males (0.73, SE 0.08) and females (0.74, SE 0.06), but among the dizygotic pairs the correlation was clearly higher in males (0.53, SE 0.12) than in females (0.20, SE 0.12). The value in the unlike-sexed dizygotic twins (0.25, SE 0.05) was intermediate to that of the like-sexed male and female dizygotic pairs. The relative contribution of genes and environment to variability in the predisposition to develop otitis media was estimated by means of structural equation modeling. Variation in liability to ear infections was mainly explained by additive genetic and dominance factors in females, for whom heritability was estimated at 74%. The remaining 26% of the variation in liability was explained by individual environmental factors. In males, 45% of the variation could be accounted for by genetic factors, 29% by common familial environment, and the remaining 26% by individual environmental effects.

scholarly journals ICT-related variables as predictors of ICT literacy beyond intelligence and prior achievement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Senkbeil
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Ict Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Motivational Constructs ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Prior Achievement ◽  
Explained Variance

AbstractThis study examined the incremental validity of different information and communication technologies (ICT)-related person characteristics over and above intelligence and and prior achievement when predicting ICT literacy across a period of three years. Relative weights analyses were performed to determine the relative contribution of each predictor towards explaining variance in ICT literacy. We used data from German NEPS that tracks representative samples of German students across their school careers. The sample consisted of 14,436 fifteen-year-old German students who provided self-reports on several ICT-related variables: self-confidence, usage motives, breadth of usage, access, experience, usage at home and at school. Data were analyzed cross-sectionally and longitudinally with structural equation models and path analyses, respectively. Cross-sectionally, all ICT-related variables incrementally predicted ICT literacy after controlling for intelligenc (explained variance: 0.4%–14.1%). Longitudinally, ICT self-confidence, ICT-related usage motives, breadth of ICT usage, ICT usage at school, and ICT experience incrementally predict ICT literacy after controlling for intelligence and prior achievement.three years later (explained variance: 0.3%–8.1%). Relative weights providing estimates of relative importance of each predictor showed that intelligence (cross-sectional) and prior achievement and intelligence, respectively (longitudinal) explained the largest portion of variance in ICT literacy, followed by ICT self-confidence, and ICT usage motives as the strongest ICT-related variables. These results emphasize that ICT-related motivational constructs play an important role in the development of ICT literacy.

scholarly journals interactions between genetic and environmental factors determine direction of population lateralization

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 598-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
chao deng
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Head Turning ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetically Determined

direction of the embyro's head rotation is determined by asymmetrical expression of several genes (such as shh, nodal, lefty, and fgf8) in hensen's node. this genetically determined head-turning bias provides a base for light-aligned population lateralization in chicks, in which the direction of the lateralization is determined by genetic factors and the degree of the lateralization is determined by environmental factors.

A longitudinal study of personality and major depression in a population-based sample of male twins

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1163-1172 ◽  
Author(s):  
AYMAN H. FANOUS ◽  
MICHAEL C. NEALE ◽  
STEVEN H. AGGEN ◽  
KENNETH S. KENDLER
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Twin Model ◽  
Genetic Overlap ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
One Year ◽  
Time To Onset

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe relationship between personality and psychiatric illness is complex. It is not clear whether one directly causes the other.MethodIn a population-based sample of male twins (n=3030), we attempted to predict major depression (MD) from neuroticism (N) and extraversion (E) and vice versa, to evaluate the causal, scar, state, and prodromal hypotheses. In a longitudinal, structural equation twin model, we decomposed the covariation between N and MD into (a) genetic and environmental factors that are common to both traits, as well as specific to each one and (b) direct causal effects of N at time 1 on subsequent MD, as well as between MD and subsequent N.ResultsE was negatively correlated with lifetime and one-year prevalence of MD. N predicted the new onset of MD, and was predicted by both current and past MD. It did not predict the time to onset of MD. All of the covariation between N and MD was due to additive genetic and individual-specific environmental factors shared by both traits and a direct causal path between MD and N assessed later. No genetic factors were unique to either trait.ConclusionsIn men, N may be a vulnerability factor for MD but does not cause it directly. However, MD may have a direct causal effect on N. The genetic overlap between N and MD in men may be greater than in women.

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