A twin study of weight loss and metabolic efficiency

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the genetic contribution to determinants of therapeutic weight loss in obese female identical twins. DESIGN: Subjects were studied for 40 days on an inpatient unit in three phases: 7 baseline days; 28 days of weight reduction by a very low calorie diet (1.6 MJ per day); and 5 days after weight reduction. SUBJECTS: Fourteen pairs of premenopausal obese female identical twins (age: 39.0±1.7 y; body weight (BW): 93.9±21.2 kg; body mass index (BMI): 34.2±7.8 kg/m2). MEASUREMENTS: Body composition by hydrodensitometry and resting metabolic rate by indirect calorimetry were assessed before and after weight loss. RESULTS: There was great variability among pairs in loss of weight (5.9–12.4 kg) and body fat (3.1–12.4 kg). By contrast, the intraclass correlation (ICC) within twin pairs was 0.85, PPPInternational Journal of Obesity (2001) 25, 533–537