Table 2 Results of the applied analysis comparing GIANT and UKB weight GWASs. GIANT = the 2013 Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits consortia GWAS [28]. UKB = Ben Ellsworth UK Biobank GWASs [15]. GWS = genome wide significant (p < 5 × 10^− 8)

GWAS 1

GWAS 2

p-value of meta-analysed difference between the 11 GWS GIANT SNPs

Interpretation

Fixed effects

Fisher’s method

GIANT weight (Kg)

UKB weight (Kg)

0.130

0.387

Since these are similar phenotypes in simpler populations, we should not, and do not, observe a difference in effect between the two GWASs

UKB weight (SD)

< 0.001

< 0.001

When the GWASs are measured using different scales, we can misleadingly detect a difference between them

UKB birthweight (Kg)

< 0.001

< 0.001

Variant-weight associations are known to change with age. As expected, we therefore observe a difference in associations between adult weight and birthweight