Identical Twins And Body Weight

[Markxxx]

I saw an ad for a diet pill and it showed two Identical Twins. They were overweight and then they BOTH took the pill and lost it.

Then I saw an ad for the BREWER TWINS (whatever happened to them?)
and they were w/o shirts and they looked almost identical.

Then I remembered a skit on the Carol Burnett show where she played a former star who got fat and they brought out her identical twin (Vicki Lawrence) who of course was thin. (it was quite funny)

Then I got to thinking how come I have NEVER seen identical twins that weren't approx the same weight.

I mean I know genetics has a lot to do with it, but clearly if one stuffs his/her face with Twinkies and the other doesn't despite genetics one will get fat.

Also like the Brewer Twins they do work out but they even get developed (ok so they ain't really developed all that much) the same. Why couldn't one get more muscular? Well obviously they could but you get the question I am asking.

Does anyone know identical twins that are vastly different in weight or muscularity. I don't mean like if one has a disease or was injured. I'm basically interested in both being normal and healthy.

[silent_rob]

Markxxx, I found this site (http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf074/sf074b09.htm) with an article about "Identical Twins That Are Not Identical." It's mostly about nature vs. nurture in separated twins, but it brings up twins who are very different and where these differences come from.

Hope this helps you a bit.

[Duck Duck Goose]

Does anyone know identical twins that are vastly different in weight or muscularity.
Sure, I'm married to one. The Better Half's identical twin weighs at least 100 pounds more than he does. Both guys are the short, chunky, muscular body type, but while the B.H. just looks like a middle-aged suburban dad (bit of a pot, you know, a little plump around the face), the twin is definitely, medically, obese.

And the only reason is eating habits--the Twin's lifestyle includes basically nothing but junk food, donuts, fast food, you name it, if it's trash, he eats it, while the B.H. limits himself to the occasional bowl of ice cream or popcorn/taco chip pigout.

[Napier]

On a documentary about weight and genetics they portrayed identical twins who were adopted into different families as infants. One grew up eating health food and exercising, the other eating fatty junk foods and not exercising. The two when reunited as middle aged adults were closely matched in body weight.

[capybara]

Sorry--late reply to this one but I've been out of town. More anecdotal evidence-- I and my twin sister are 29 and have weighed up to 70 pounds apart (I've hit 170 at top, she perhaps 250, I think-- neither of us is, um, elfin, although I might be a bit more muscular/ exercise semi-regularly so I wear my lard better). I think this chalks up to lifestyle-- she screwed up her knee badly when we were 17 and stills needs surgery on it, while I have been too busy/lame/unmotivated to get a driver's licence and hence bike everywhere and am generally more active physically. But I think everyone in the family is disposed to the same sort of body type-- all my aunts are similarly pear-shaped even when they are in shape.