Genetic Influences on Adolescent Eating Habits

Abstract

Behavioral genetic research shows that variation in eating habits and food consumption is due to genetic and environmental factors. The current study extends this line of research by examining the genetic contribution to adolescent eating habits. Analysis of sibling pairs drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) revealed significant genetic influences on variance in an unhealthy eating habits scale ( h2 = .42), a healthy eating habits scale ( h2 = .51), the number of meals eaten at a fast-food restaurant ( h2 = .33), and the total number of meals eaten per week ( h2 = .26). Most of the remaining variance was due to nonshared environmental factors. Additional analyses conducted separately for males and females revealed a similar pattern of findings. The authors note the limitations of the study and offer suggestions for future research.