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Sarcopenia-related traits and coronary artery disease: a bi-directional Mendelian randomization study

Hui-Min Liu1, Qiang Zhang2, Wen-Di Shen1

  • 1Center for System Biology, Data Sciences, and Reproductive Health, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Yuelu, Changsha, P.R. China.

Aging
|February 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Higher muscle strength, measured by handgrip, is linked to a lower risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Decreased muscle strength, not muscle mass, increases CAD risk in sarcopenia.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Cardiology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Conflicting evidence exists regarding the causal relationship between sarcopenia and coronary artery disease (CAD).
  • Previous Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have not fully elucidated the bidirectional association between sarcopenia-related traits and CAD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To clarify the causal relationship and directionality between sarcopenia-related traits and CAD using a bi-directional MR approach.
  • To investigate the specific roles of muscle strength and muscle mass in the development of CAD.

Main Methods:

  • Employed a bi-directional Mendelian randomization (MR) design.
  • Utilized genetic variants predicting sarcopenia-related traits (e.g., handgrip strength, body lean mass) to assess their causal effect on CAD (Stage 1).
  • Used genetic variants predicting CAD to assess their causal effect on sarcopenia-related traits (Stage 2).
  • Applied inverse variance weighting (IVW) and sensitivity analyses.

Main Results:

  • Increased genetically determined handgrip strength was associated with a reduced risk of CAD (left handgrip: OR = 0.64, P = 4.56E-04; right handgrip: OR = 0.599, P = 1.10E-05).
  • Genetically predicted CAD did not show a significant causal association with handgrip strength.
  • No significant causal relationship was found between genetically instrumented body lean mass and CAD.

Conclusions:

  • Decreased muscle strength, a key feature of sarcopenia, is a causal risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD).
  • Muscle mass, as predicted by lean body mass, does not appear to have a significant causal impact on CAD risk.
  • Findings highlight the importance of muscle strength in cardiovascular health and suggest targeted interventions for sarcopenia to mitigate CAD risk.

Keywords:
Mendelian randomizationcoronary artery diseasesarcopenia

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