or 61,612 (WHR) follow-up samples (collectively referred to as stage 2). In addition, genome wide signals for WC identified after stage 2 were confirmed using data with The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium, whose meta-analysis included eight studies totaling 31,375 individuals. All samples included in these analyses were of European ancestry. We also undertook gender specific analysis of the stage 1 GWAS. An overview of the study design and results is given in Figure 1.
