Sun D, Zhang T, Su S, et al. - Researchers used a longitudinal cohort to investigate CpG sites related to BMI and the temporal link between dynamic alterations in DNA methylation (DNAm) and BMI. Among 995 whites and 490 black individuals from the Bogalusa Heart Study, the researchers conducted race-specific epigenome-wide association studies. Among 252 white and 228 black participants from the Georgia Stress and Heart Study, they further replicated suggestive CpG sites. They found a robust link of 349 CpG sites (266 novel) in white participants and 36 (21 novel) in black participants, with BMI in discovery and replication samples, with an overlap of 8 (1 novel) CpG sites between both races. They also identified a link of baseline BMI with a DNAm score (calculated from DNAm levels at the related CpG sites) at follow-up. Overall, strong evidence suggesting obesity as the cause, not a result, of alterations in DNAm over time was suggested in this study.