over-transmitted to the obese offspring for 24 of the 32 SNPs (binomial sign test P = 0.004) (Supplementary Table 3). As these studies in extreme obesity cases, children and families were relatively small (Nrange = 354 − 15,251) compared to the overall meta-analyses, their power was likely insufficient to confirm association for all 32 loci. Nevertheless, these results show that the effects are unlikely to reflect population stratification and that they extend to BMI differences throughout the life course.