New research finds that people with schizophrenia have a genetic propensity to smoking and a reduced genetic risk of obesity. The study, published in, revealed genetic overlap between schizophrenia and cardiovascular disease risk factors, particularly body mass index and smoking. The findings highlight the importance of environmental factors in the development of obesity and other CVD comorbidities.
Schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of CVD and this study was aimed at better understanding the genetic overlap between the two. The research team, led by Linn Rødevand, Ph.D., with the Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research at the University of Oslo, analyzed recent genome-wide association study results to estimate the number of shared genetic variants and pinpoint specific shared locations.
Extensive genetic overlap was found between schizophrenia and CVD risk factors, particularly smoking initiation and BMI. Several specific shared locations were also found between schizophrenia and waist-to-hip ratio, systolic and