Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder about identical twins?

126 replies

Slitherie · 08/04/2023 07:18

How come you never get identical twins where one is fat and the other is skinny?

They always seem to be the same size?

I’ve been thinking about this since watching dogs behaving badly earlier in the week. Is it because IT are likely to have a very similar appetite? Or is it a clue that weight is largely down to genetics?

OP posts:
Yellowrosesmakemehappy · 08/04/2023 07:20

Exactly how many pairs of identical twins have you met to test your theory?

prawnring · 08/04/2023 07:23

I only know one set of identical twins. Both now early forties. One a size ten, the other a size twenty four. The larger person has had kids and eats more.

I'm sure genetics are partly at play, and being raised in the same household with the same food given as children. But once you're grown and living your own life, other factors play a bigger part.

Phoebo · 08/04/2023 07:23

Well genetics. But actually that's not true, I've seen a few. I think maybe something like baldness might not occur in only one.

Original poster
Slitherie · 08/04/2023 07:23

Yellowrosesmakemehappy · 08/04/2023 07:20

Exactly how many pairs of identical twins have you met to test your theory?

1 set of twins and 2 sets of identical triplets but I’m mainly referring to the ones I see on TV and in social media.

Also I don’t have a theory, I just find it interesting

OP posts:
boboshmobo · 08/04/2023 07:24

It's more likely that they were brought up exactly the same and maybe over fed or had a poor diet !

Me and my sister were over fed ( with love) as children and I managed to break the cycle when I left home but it took her 40 years and a gastric sleeve !

I think with twins if one is overweight it becomes more acceptable for the other to be the same

Most have the same hobbies and interests so if they like exercise then that's something they do together etc .

I grew up with two best friends who were ID twins and very overweight .. their family were too so they obviously ate too much and that became normal in adulthood

Original poster
Slitherie · 08/04/2023 07:24

prawnring · 08/04/2023 07:23

I only know one set of identical twins. Both now early forties. One a size ten, the other a size twenty four. The larger person has had kids and eats more.

I'm sure genetics are partly at play, and being raised in the same household with the same food given as children. But once you're grown and living your own life, other factors play a bigger part.

That’s interesting!

OP posts:
duvetdissident · 08/04/2023 07:26

Identical twins may start of the same size as young children, but the size they are as adults depends on their eating and exercise behaviour, so might be the same, or might be very different.

I also know one obese twin, with a slim twin. Things started to go wrong for her when she had some serious health problems in her teens, and was on steroids, The steroids stopped decades ago now, but the weight problems started from there, and she never got it under control again

They are now in their 50s

Ourshoddyhouse · 08/04/2023 07:27

Oh I thought this was going to be about the tweet I saw, wondering how many identical twins are actually going by the others name 🤣

Aerosarethebest · 08/04/2023 07:29

Studying twins is actually a big part of how geneticists determine whether there is a genetic component to something.
If you look at the frequency of some medical issue/behavior/combo of the two occuring in identical twins vs same sex fraternal twins, if the thing your studying (like obesity for example) occurs more frequently in both twins when they are identical vs when they are fraternal, then it’s highly likely that there is a genetic component.

TheDogsMother · 08/04/2023 07:30

Kings College has been conducting twins studies for many years to assist with research into medical conditions and disease. I think I remember they made a discovery that even in some identical twins there can be a genetic difference which allows some to differ in weight while the other genetic group to stay pretty much the same throughout life.

Original poster
Slitherie · 08/04/2023 07:31

A few more rabbit hole queries ….

could identical twins travel on each others passports?

I read a story about a man who went to visit his identical twin in prison and they had planned between them to share the jail time … the wrong twin walked free! They did get caught but the naughty twin was free for a while and I can’t remember how they got found out

How often do you reckon IDs share boyfriends/girlfriends? I was at school with a set of identical triplet boys and they were found to be sharing girlfriends and the poor girls didn’t have a clue

is it common for IT to actually dislike each other? All the ones I’ve known have been so incredibly close

OP posts:
Yellowrosesmakemehappy · 08/04/2023 07:33

It’s not just about diet and excercice choices. Anything could happen to either twin during their life to cause them to over eat or not exercise enough.

Bullying, bad break up, appearance insecurities, job loss etc could all cause mental health issues that lead to poor diet and exercise.

Even job roles, one could have an active job and walk to work, one could drive everywhere and have a desk job and do nothing to combat that.

Identical twins don’t have identical lives forever.

NeverTrustAPoliceman · 08/04/2023 07:40

There is a huge project to use twins for research into this type of thing. Thousands of sets of twins who were born in three consecutive years in the 90s were recruited and many are still taking part now. TEDS is the name I think.

TwoPointFourCatsAndDogs · 08/04/2023 07:42

i’m pretty sure the Van Tulleken twins did a program in exactly this and it’s down to gur health. The skinny twins have more good gut bacteria.

Aerosarethebest · 08/04/2023 07:42

Identical twins usually end up looking slightly different as adults. Enough that people who know them very well can tell them apart. There can be tiny genetic differences because cell division sometimes results in mutations. But then twins are two separate people and shit happens. They don’t all fall over in the same place at the same time and collect the same constellations of scars for instance.
They are usually a similar height but not necessarily exactly the same. Remember they ate likely to be born at slightly different weights and sometimes there is a huge difference is something like twin to twin transfer syndrome occurs.

Original poster
Slitherie · 08/04/2023 07:45

Thanks everyone, I’m autistic and this is currently my special interest … I want to know everything about identical twins! 😂

My last topic was hippopotamuses 🤣

OP posts:
Fireyflies · 08/04/2023 07:48

I've known 4 sets of identical twins and all have been incredibly close. The adult set I knew lived together. In contrast I've known quite a few same sex non identical twins all with a very strained relationship and a lot of friction. I do think it's a very unique relationship that identical twins have.

Haven't heard any any traveling on each others passport - assume they might not pass the biometric checks but sure the passport officers would let them through if they did. Agree that if you know them well you learn to tell them apart.

Atreus · 08/04/2023 07:55

@Slitherie if you haven't read it already, this is the book for you! It's written by Tim Spector, the prof behind the U.K. twins study and more recently the Covid symptom study and Zoe health. He found that differences between identical twins, who have identical genetics, is mainly down to their gut biome. Fascinating stuff!

To wonder about identical twins?
Badbudgeter · 08/04/2023 07:55

I have identical twins. One twin is smaller she was 6 ounces lighter at birth 5lb 10 versus 6lbs and has consistently managed to maintain being a bit lighter than her sister. She is fussier about food, quicker to say she is full and a little shorter (an inch at age 8).

Justalittlebitduckling · 08/04/2023 07:56

A combination of genetics and environmental factors because they learnt the same eating and nutrition habits as children.

PomPomChatton · 08/04/2023 07:58

OP, have you watched Echoes on Netflix? That will give you more twin possibilities to think about.

ladygindiva · 08/04/2023 08:00

I know identical twins ( male, 30s) where one is a good three or four inches at least taller than the other. The shorter one needed to be in scbu longer, both prem. Not sure if that's why. I also know identical female twins in their 50s where one is slim, size 8ish ( exercise and healthy eating conscious) and the other is overweight and an alcoholic.

eleanorwish · 08/04/2023 08:01

My DH is an identical twin. I have no problem telling him apart from his brother. They have become less similar as they have aged, both have been skinny and overweight but usually at different times.
What I find fascinating is they have the same mannerisms but I think that's because they grew up together.

Rockbird · 08/04/2023 08:03

Interesting about them changing as they get older. I went to school with identical twins and no one could tell them apart. We just used to call them Twin (don't judge, it was the 80s and we were stupid!). Now knowing them as adults I can't believe I couldn't tell the difference, it's so obvious who is who. I don't have any child photos of them. Have they changed or have I just got more observant, who knows.

duvetdissident · 08/04/2023 08:16

The most worrying thing about identical twins is when people act as if it is the most important thing about them. it isn't. They are both individuals first and foremost