Can height and body mass index affect social position?... [including commentary by George Davey Smith].

The article presents a Mendelian randomization study, utilizing the UK Biobank, which aimed to explore causal effects of differences in stature and body mass index (BMI) on several measures of socioeconomic status. Topics discussed include the random assignment of genotypes at conception and evidence which showed that shorter stature and higher BMI resulted in lower measures of socioeconomic status. The need to triangulate evidence produced using different research methods is mentioned.