Contribution of genetic and environmental factors to obesity indices and their overlap
Authors' conclusion
The high correlation between the majority of obesity indices implies their redundancy. In contrast, ABSI and HI were relatively independent of BMI and other indices and showed the greatest influence from individual-specific environmental factors, suggesting their potential utility as complementary tools in epidemiological research, clinical risk prediction, and monitoring of targeted interventions.
Study context
- Population
- Adults at baseline of the multi-generational Lifelines cohort studyfemales = 89,091, 58.4%
- Participants
- 152,298 adults
- Outcome
- Genetic (h2), shared (c2) and unique environmental (e2) variance components of anthropometric measures and 12 obesity indices, and their pairwise phenotypic, genetic, shared and unique environmental correlations
- Follow-up
- Baseline
Methodological detailsfamily-based variance-component analysis, multi-generational, population-based, Variance components and correlations estimated using ASReml software
- Family-based variance-component analysis
- Multi-generational
- Population-based
- Variance components and correlations estimated using ASReml software
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Correlations among most indices (rP, rG, rC, rE)
- > 0.8
- A body shape index (ABSI) and hip index (HI) weakly correlated with other indices, largely independent of body mass index (BMI) (rP)
- < 0.10
- e2 of ABSI (highest)
- 64.2%
- e2 of HI (highest)
- 75.7%
- Heritability of height (highest)
- h2 = 91.7%
- Heritability of most other traits (moderate)
- h2 = 45%-55%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Contribution of genetic and environmental factors to obesity indices and their overlap. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 11 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →