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.
Jelenkovic A, Hur YM, Sund R, Yokoyama Y, Siribaddana SH, Hotopf M, Sumathipala A, Rijsdijk F, Tan Q, Zhang D, Pang Z, Aaltonen S, Heikkilä K, Öncel SY, Aliev F, Rebato E, Tarnoki AD, Tarnoki DL, Christensen K, Skytthe A, Kyvik KO, Silberg JL, Eaves LJ, Maes HH, Cutler TL, Hopper JL, Ordoñana JR, Sánchez-Romera JF, Colodro-Conde L, Cozen W, Hwang AE, Mack TM, Sung J, Song YM, Yang S, Lee K, Franz CE, Kremen WS, Lyons MJ, Busjahn A, Nelson TL, Whitfield KE, Kandler C, Jang KL, Gatz M, Butler DA, Stazi MA, Fagnani C, D’Ippolito C, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Derom CA, Vlietinck RF, Loos RJ, Martin NG, Medland SE, Montgomery GW, Jeong HU, Swan GE, Krasnow R, Magnusson PK, Pedersen NL, Dahl-Aslan AK, McAdams TA, Eley TC, Gregory AM, Tynelius P, Baker LA, Tuvblad C, Bayasgalan G, Narandalai D, Lichtenstein P, Spector TD, Mangino M, Lachance G, Bartels M, van Beijsterveldt TC, Willemsen G, Burt SA, Klump KL, Harris JR, Brandt I, Nilsen TS, Krueger RF, McGue M, Pahlen S, Corley RP, Hjelmborg JV, Goldberg JH, Iwatani Y, Watanabe M, Honda C, Inui F, Rasmussen F, Huibregtse BM, Boomsma DI, Sørensen TI, Kaprio J, Silventoinen K. Genetic and environmental influences on adult human height across birth cohorts from 1886 to 1994. Elife. 2016 Dec 14;5:e20320. PMC5156525.