Studies of Twins: Can they Shed Light on the Fetal Origins of Adult Disease Hypothesis?

Abstract

There has been much interest in evidence that people with lower birthweight have higher risk of adult cardiovascular disease, but the causal pathways underlying such observations are uncertain. Study of twins offers an opportunity to shed light on these pathways, in three different ways. First, in a twin pregnancy maternal nutritional resources and the "supply line" to the fetuses will be more "stretched". We hypothesise that study of twin pregnancies is a more efficient way to identify modifiable maternal factors that influence later health than studies of singleton pregnancies. Second, twins have lower birthweight than singletons. Comparison of cardiovascular disease risk in twins versus t..