The Cincinnati lipid research clinic family study: Analysis of commingling and family resemblance for fasting blood glucose

Our specific aim in this study was to investigate commingling and family resemblance for fasting blood glucose in 160 randomly selected white families from the Princeton School District Lipid Research Clinics Family Study. Adjustment of fasting blood glucose for the influence of age, sex, and the use of oral contraceptives and construction of indices were performed simultaneously using multiple regression methods. Path analysis was carried out, constructing an environmental index based on special diet usage, hematocrit, and obesity, which was also adjusted for the influences of age and sex. Commingling analysis and segregation analysis using the mixed model were also performed. Nearly 16% of the variance of fasting blood glucose was accounted for by age and sex. Obesity itself, which constituted the index, explained an additional 4% of the variance of fasting blood glucose. Significant genetic heritability for fasting blood glucose was documented by both path analysis and segregation analysis. In aggregate, we conclude that though there was a major familial vector accounting for within‐family aggregation of blood glucose, it was probably generated by a multifactorial component as compared to a major locus. Under the most parsimonious model, path analysis estimated the genetic and cultural heritabilities as h² = .39 ± .08 and c² = .06 ± .03., respectively.