Shared genetic aetiology between cognitive ability and cardiovascular disease risk factors: Generation Scotland's Scottish family health study

Luciano, M. et al. (2010) Shared genetic aetiology between cognitive ability and cardiovascular disease risk factors: Generation Scotland's Scottish family health study. Intelligence, 38(3), pp. 304-313. (doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2010.03.002)

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Abstract

People with higher general cognitive ability in early life have more favourable levels of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adulthood and CVD itself. The mechanism of these associations is not known. Here we examine whether general cognitive ability and CVD risk factors share genetic and/or environmental aetiology. In this large, pedigree-based cross-sectional study of Scottish families (N = 1983 families: 6086 individuals) we estimate the heritability (ranging from 0.08 to 0.91) of a diverse battery of CVD risk factors, and also examine the extent and causes of their relationship with general cognitive ability. General cognitive ability was associated significantly with almost all the risk factors investigated. explaining between 0.2% and 11% of variance. For those measures with an effect size greater than around 1%, the relationship was primarily influenced by genes (30 to 94%) rather than the environment. These findings have relevance to the growing field of cognitive epidemiology, in which intelligence is used to predict morbidity and mortality. We provide evidence that risk factors such as education and income - which are typically treated as environmental indicators by epidemiologists and controlled for in their studies of morbidity - are genetically confounded with IQ. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:Aetiology ANKLE-BRACHIAL INDEX ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATIONS ATHEROSCLEROSIS BRAIN cardiovascular disease CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE CHILDHOOD IQ Cognitive epidemiology CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE Cross-sectional CVD risk factors DISEASE DISEASE RISK EDUCATIONAL-ATTAINMENT ENVIRONMENT Epidemiology FAMILY Family study FOLLOW-UP GENE General cognitive ability genes genetics HEALTH HERITABILITY INDICATOR INDIVIDUALS INTELLIGENCE LANGUAGE LEVEL LIFE LUNG-FUNCTION MECHANISM MIDDLE-AGE MORBIDITY MORTALITY Obesity OF-THE-LITERATURE pediatrics PEOPLE PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS RISK risk factors RISK-FACTOR RISK-FACTORS Scotland
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Fitzpatrick, Dr Bridie and Dominiczak, Professor Anna
Authors: Luciano, M., Batty, G. D., McGilchrist, M., Linksted, P., Fitzpatrick, B., Jackson, C., Pattie, A., Dominiczak, A. F., Morris, A. D., Smith, B. H., Porteous, D., and Deary, I. J.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care
College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health
College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
Journal Name:Intelligence
ISSN:0160-2896

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