Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

Epigenome-wide association study of body mass index, and the adverse outcomes of adiposity

Simone Wahl, Alexander Drong, Benjamin Lehne, Marie Loh, William R. Scott, Sonja Kunze, Pei-Chien Tsai, Janina S. Ried, Weihua Zhang, Youwen Yang, Sili Tan, Giovanni Fiorito, Lude Franke, Simonetta Guarrera, Silva Kasela, Jennifer Kriebel, Rebecca C. Richmond, Marco Adamo, Uzma Afzal, Mika Ala‐Korpela, Benedetta Albetti, Ole Ammerpohl, Jane F. Apperley, Marian Beekman, Pier Alberto Bertazzi, S. Lucas Black, Christine Blancher, Marc Jan Bonder, Mario Brosch, Maren Carstensen‐Kirberg, Anton J. M. de Craen, Simon de Lusignan, Abbas Dehghan, Mohamed Elkalaawy, Krista Fischer, Oscar H. Franco, Tom R. Gaunt, Jochen Hampe, Majid Hashemi, Aaron Isaacs, Andrew Jenkinson, Sujeet Jha, Norihiro Kato, Vittorio Krogh, Michael Laffan, Christa Meisinger, Thomas Meitinger, Zuan Yu Mok, Valeria Motta, Hong Kiat Ng, Zacharoula Nikolakopoulou, Georgios Nteliopoulos, Salvatore Panico, Natalia Pervjakova, Holger Prokisch, Wolfgang Rathmann, Michael Roden, Federica Rota, Michelle Ann Rozario, Johanna K. Sandling, Clemens Schafmayer, Katharina Schramm, Reiner Siebert, P. Eline Slagboom, Pasi Soininen, Lisette Stolk, Konstantin Strauch, E Shyong Tai, Letizia Tarantini, Barbara Thorand, Ettje F. Tigchelaar, ­Rosario ­Tumino, André G. Uitterlinden, Cornelia M. van Duijn, Joyce B. J. van Meurs, Paolo Vineis, Ananda R. Wickremasinghe, Cisca Wijmenga, Tsun-Po Yang, Wei Yuan, Alexandra Zhernakova, Rachel L. Batterham, George Davey Smith, Panos Deloukas, Bastiaan T. Heijmans, Christian Herder, Albert Hofman, Cecilia M. Lindgren, Lili Milani, Pim van der Harst, Annette Peters, Thomas Illig, Caroline L. Relton, Mélanie Waldenberger, Marjo‐Riitta Järvelin, Valentina Bollati, Richie Soong, Tim D. Spector, James Scott, Mark I. McCarthy

Nature · 2016

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Summary

This large-scale epigenome-wide association study identified DNA methylation signatures associated with body mass index and adverse outcomes of adiposity across multiple European and international cohorts. Published in Nature (2016), the research represents a collaborative effort involving dozens of research groups and suggests that epigenetic modifications may serve as biomarkers for obesity-related health risks. The findings contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms linking adiposity to chronic disease.

UK applicability

The study's multi-cohort design likely includes UK-based participants and cohorts, making findings potentially applicable to UK populations. The identified epigenetic biomarkers could inform future UK public health surveillance and personalised risk assessment strategies for obesity-related diseases.

Key measures

DNA methylation at CpG sites; body mass index; epigenetic biomarkers associated with adiposity and related adverse health outcomes

Outcomes reported

The study conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) to identify DNA methylation patterns associated with body mass index and adverse health outcomes related to adiposity. The research examined epigenetic markers across multiple cohorts to establish associations between methylation status and obesity-related phenotypes.

Theme
Nutrition & health
Subject
Dietary patterns & chronic disease
Study type
Research
Study design
Observational cohort
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
International
System type
Human clinical
DOI
10.1038/nature20784
Catalogue ID
BFmovbmir0-59fqym

Topic tags

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