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Differential DNA methylation regions were compared for pairs discordant in body mass index, physical activity, and walkability, and weighted gene coexpression network analysis was used to associate methylation sites with physiological traits. Physical-activity discordant pairs showed methylation changes correlated with reduced metabolic parameters, involving more than fifty genes previously tied to vigorous activity and metabolic risk factors, supporting systemic epigenetic effects on obesity etiology.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/epigenome-wide-association-study-of-physical-activity-and-physiological-parameters-in-discordant-monozygotic-twins/308786/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/epigenome-wide-association-study-of-physical-activity-and-physiological-parameters-in-discordant-monozygotic-twins/308786.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Patrick","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-06","2026-09-20",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",8,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What cohorts and biological samples were used for the epigenome-wide association study?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The study used buccal cells from monozygotic twin pairs reared together as children, but living apart as adults. Male and female pairs were analyzed separately.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How were discordant twins defined in relation to the exposures and traits?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Twin pairs were discordant on body mass index (BMI), physical activity levels, and neighborhood walkability, enabling comparisons of differential DNA methylation regions.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What relationship did the study find between physical activity differences and metabolic parameters?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Pairs discordant in physical activity showed epigenetic alterations correlated with reduced metabolic parameters, including BMI and waist circumference, supported by methylation sites linked to multiple genes.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},308786,1789872347,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":55,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},549758146520,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/80002397d8c0411e94?_k=1775819394049821470","[www. nature.com/scientificreports](www. nature.com/scientificreports)  \nOPEN  \nEpigenome‑wide association study of physical activity and physiological parameters in discordant monozygotic twins  \nGlen E. Duncan1, Ally Avery1, Jennifer L. M. Thorson2, Eric E. Nilsson2, Daniel Beck2 & Michael K. Skinner2*  \nAn epigenome‑wide association study (EWAS) was performed on buccal cells from monozygotic‑twins (MZ) reared together as children, but who live apart as adults. Cohorts oftwin pairs were used to investigate associations between neighborhood walkability and objectively measured physical activity (PA) levels. Due to dramatic cellular epigenetic sex differences, male and female MZ twin pairs were analyzed separately to identify differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs). A priori comparisons were made on MZ twin pairs discordant on body mass index (BMI), PA levels, and neighborhood walkability. In addition to direct comparative analysis to identify specific DMRs, a weighted genome coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify DNA methylation sites associated with the physiological traits of interest. The pairs discordant in PA levels had epigenetic alterations that correlated with reduced metabolic parameters (i.e., BMI and waist circumference). The DNA methylation sites are associated with over fifty genes previously found to be specific to vigorous PA, metabolic risk factors, and sex. Combined observations demonstrate that behavioral factors, such as physical activity, appear to promote systemic epigenetic alterations that impact metabolic risk factors. The epigenetic DNA methylation sites and associated genes identified provide insight into PA impacts on metabolic parameters and the etiology of obesity.  \nAbbreviations  \nEWAS  \nMZ  \nPA  \nDMRs  \nBMI WGCNA BE  \nGWASMeDIP  \nMeDIP-Seq PCA  \nMVPA  \nWSTR  \nEpigenome-wide association study Monozygotic twins  \nPhysical activity  \nDNA methylation regions  \nBody mass index  \nWeighted genome complex network analysis“Built” environment  \nGenome-wide association studies  \nMethylated DNA immunoprecipitation  \nNext generation sequencing  \nPrincipal component analysis  \nMinutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity Washington State Twin Registry  \nRegular physical activity (PA) and proper nutrition are the foundations of chronic disease prevention and treatment efforts. However, we have failed to motivate adoption and maintenance of these critical health behaviorsat the population level. Strategies to increase levels of PA in the population are a critical public health goal1–4. The role of the “built” environment in supporting health behaviors has received increased attention over the last decade because of the failure of individual-level approaches (i.e., behavior change) to impact this population-level problem (i.e., obesity and associated metabolic syndrome).“Healthy” or “walkable” built environments provide  \n1Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99202, USA. 2Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236, USA.* email: [skinner@wsu.edu](skinner@wsu.edu)  \n[www. nature.com/scientificreports/](www. nature.com/scientificreports/)  \nopportunities for PA and better choices for food. These environments potentially lead to lower obesity and associated diseases5. Detrimental built environments include sprawling suburbs where automobiles are the only transportation option and fast-food restaurants and strip malls are numerous. This “obesogenic” environment minimizes energy expenditure and maximizes energy intake to promote obesity. While it is known that exposure to an obesogenic built environment negatively influences PA and eating behaviors, it is not clear whether exposure to an obesogenic built environment can affect on a molecular level gene activity6. These “molecular signatures” of obesity can be investigated th","cbCaiv8OuHwqqvtv","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiv8OuHwqqvtv","pdf",5169233,17,"English","# Background and rationale\n## Built environment and physical activity\n## Epigenetics and obesity etiology\n# Study design and analyses\n## Twin cohorts and discordant phenotypes\n## EWAS and sex-stratified differential methylation\n## WGCNA for trait-linked sites\n# Key findings and implications","[{\"question\":\"What cohorts and biological samples were used for the epigenome-wide association study?\",\"answer\":\"The study used buccal cells from monozygotic twin pairs reared together as children, but living apart as adults. Male and female pairs were analyzed separately.\"},{\"question\":\"How were discordant twins defined in relation to the exposures and traits?\",\"answer\":\"Twin pairs were discordant on body mass index (BMI), physical activity levels, and neighborhood walkability, enabling comparisons of differential DNA methylation regions.\"},{\"question\":\"What relationship did the study find between physical activity differences and metabolic parameters?\",\"answer\":\"Pairs discordant in physical activity showed epigenetic alterations correlated with reduced metabolic parameters, including BMI and waist circumference, supported by methylation sites linked to multiple genes.\"}]","Epigenome-wide association study of physical activity and physiological parameters in discordant monozygotic twins | PDF",43]