The Foetal Origins of Adult Disease: Interpreting the Evidence From Twin Studies
- 1 October 2001
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Twin Research
- Vol. 4 (5), 321-326
- https://doi.org/10.1375/twin.4.5.321
Abstract
Twin studies have a contribution to make to the debate concerning the foetal origins of adult disease. Twins are growth retarded compared to singletons and experience post-natal catch-up growth. However, there is no evidence that twins are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Studying whether discordance in size at birth within monozygotic twin pairs is predictive of discordance in later life disease should help resolve whether the association between size at birth and later disease is due to common genetic factors. Results from studies of blood pressure in childhood and adult life looking at these within twin effects are far from conclusive. There are, however, methodological problems in the interpretation of these results, not least of which is the relatively small numbers of twin pairs studied. Studies exploring the effect of zygosity and chorion type on later disease provide may provide a useful extension of the research agenda. In summary, twin studies to date have raised more questions about the foetal origins hypothesis than they have resolved.Keywords
This publication has 41 references indexed in Scilit:
- Comparing Blood Pressure of Twins and Their Singleton Siblings: Being a Twin Does Not Affect Adult Blood PressureTwin Research, 2001
- Early Changes in Vascular Dynamics in Relation to Twin-Twin Transfusion SyndromeTwin Research, 2001
- Birthweight, early environment, and genetics: a study of twins discordant for acute myocardial infarctionThe Lancet, 2001
- Testing the fetal origins hypothesis in twins: the Birmingham twin studyDiabetologia, 2001
- The role of size at birth and postnatal catch-up growth in determining systolic blood pressureJournal Of Hypertension, 2000
- The fetal insulin hypothesis: an alternative explanation of the association of low bir thweight with diabetes and vascular diseaseThe Lancet, 1999
- Birthweight, body-mass index in middle age, and incident coronary heart diseaseThe Lancet, 1996
- Mortality among twins after age 6: fetal origins hypothesis versus twin methodBMJ, 1995
- INFANT MORTALITY, CHILDHOOD NUTRITION, AND ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE IN ENGLAND AND WALESThe Lancet, 1986
- Growth and Development of Twins Dissimilar in Size at BirthNew England Journal of Medicine, 1973