Washington State Twin RegistryPublications2026

2026

Genetic and environmental influences on educational disparities in adult weight change: an individual-based pooled analysis of 11 twin cohorts

Introduction: Educational attainment (EA) is negatively associated with body mass index (BMI) but less is known about the association between EA and adult BMI change. We analyzed the role of genetic and environmental factors in the association between EA and BMI trajectory components over adulthood. Data and methods: Pooled data from 59,490 twins aged 31-99 years (49% […]

Genetic and environmental effects on weight gain from young adulthood to old age and its association with body mass index in early young adulthood: an individual-based pooled analysis of 16 twin cohorts

Introduction: Genetic and environmental factors contribute to weight gain, but how these effects change over adulthood is largely unknown. We examined how genetic factors influence BMI changes from young adulthood to old age and how this change relates to BMI in early adulthood. Data and methods: Data from 16 longitudinal twin cohorts, including 111,370 adults (56% women) […]

Quantifying the U.S. obesogenic environment and its quasi-causal association with obesity: a cross-sectional twin study

Obesity is a chronic disease that develops via complex interactions between human biology and the obesogenic environment. This study aimed to develop a high-resolution index of combined obesogenic neighborhood exposures in the U.S. and examine its association with body mass index (BMI), independent of familial factors shared by twins (e.g., genetics and early life environment). […]