The heritability of serum lipoprotein and lipid concentrations. A twin study

The genetic influence on serum lipid and lipoprotein levels was estimated in twins. Twin zygosity was confirmed by analysis of at least 19 genetic marker systems in each twin. Fifty pairs of randomly selected, healthy, normolipidemic twins, 18 to 24 years of age, were studied. Significant differences were found between the inter‐ and intrapair variances for all lipid and lipoprotein parameters in the monozygous twins, and for most values in dizygous twins. The intrapair variances of all lipid and lipoprotein parameters tested were smaller in MZ than DZ twins, and significant differences were found for cholesterol, phospholipids, total lipids, pre‐β‐ and α‐lipoproteins. H statistics, intraclass correlations and the F ratios all point to a high, but somewhat varying degree of genetic influence on the levels of all serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations investigated, the genetic effect being particulary pronounced for cholesterol and total lipids.