BMC Medicine (Jul 2022)

Your height affects your health: genetic determinants and health-related outcomes in Taiwan

  • Jian-Shiun Chiou,
  • Chi-Fung Cheng,
  • Wen-Miin Liang,
  • Chen-Hsing Chou,
  • Chung-Hsing Wang,
  • Wei-De Lin,
  • Mu-Lin Chiu,
  • Wei-Chung Cheng,
  • Cheng-Wen Lin,
  • Ting-Hsu Lin,
  • Chiu-Chu Liao,
  • Shao-Mei Huang,
  • Chang-Hai Tsai,
  • Ying-Ju Lin,
  • Fuu-Jen Tsai

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02450-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 1
pp. 1 – 23

Abstract

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Abstract Background Height is an important anthropometric measurement and is associated with many health-related outcomes. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of genetic loci associated with height, mainly in individuals of European ancestry. Methods We performed genome-wide association analyses and replicated previously reported GWAS-determined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Taiwanese Han population (Taiwan Biobank; n = 67,452). A genetic instrument composed of 251 SNPs was selected from our GWAS, based on height and replication results as the best-fit polygenic risk score (PRS), in accordance with the clumping and p-value threshold method. We also examined the association between genetically determined height (PRS251) and measured height (phenotype). We performed observational (phenotype) and genetic PRS251 association analyses of height and health-related outcomes. Results GWAS identified 6843 SNPs in 89 genomic regions with genome-wide significance, including 18 novel loci. These were the most strongly associated genetic loci (EFEMP1, DIS3L2, ZBTB38, LCORL, HMGA1, CS, and GDF5) previously reported to play a role in height. There was a positive association between PRS251 and measured height (p < 0.001). Of the 14 traits and 49 diseases analyzed, we observed significant associations of measured and genetically determined height with only eight traits (p < 0.05/[14 + 49]). Height was positively associated with body weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference but negatively associated with body mass index, waist-hip ratio, body fat, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05/[14 + 49]). Conclusions This study contributes to the understanding of the genetic features of height and health-related outcomes in individuals of Han Chinese ancestry in Taiwan.

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