A unique monozygotic twin study by researchers from the Finnish Twin Cohort, Helsinki University Central Hospital, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland found that obesity, already in its early stages and independent of genetic influences, is associated with deleterious alterations in the lipid metabolism known to facilitate atherogenesis, inflammation and insulin resistance.
By studying monozygotic twins discordant for obesity the research group was able to eliminate effects caused by genetic differences related to obesity and reveal effects attributable to environmental and life-style differences.
Obesity and its many related health hazards have become a serious and growing problem worldwide. While environmental and lifestyle factors play a key role in the development of obesity, genetic variation may determine an individual's susceptibility to weight gain and to the rise of obesity-related health risks. Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes especially when the extra fat is accumulated to central and intra-abdominal depots and when obesity is accompanied by an atherogenic dyslipidemia.
A Finnish team from the Finnish Twin Cohort, Helsinki University Central Hospital, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland performed a metabolomic analysis of lipids in 14 monozygous twins highly discordant for obesity, and 10 control pairs concordant for weight. They found that acquired obesity, independent of genetic influences, primarily relates to increases in lysophosphatidylcholines, constituents of an atherogenic lipid profile and decreases in ether phospholipids, lipids with anti-oxidative properties.