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Alcohol Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Susanna C Larsson1,2, Stephen Burgess3, Amy M Mason4,5
1Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden (S.C.L., K.M.).
Circulation. Genomic and Precision Medicine
|May 6, 2020
Summary
This study used Mendelian randomization to investigate alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease risk. Higher alcohol intake is causally linked to increased risk of stroke and peripheral artery disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular epidemiology
- Genetic epidemiology
- Public health
Background:
- The precise causal relationship between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains incompletely understood.
- Investigating genetic predispositions can help elucidate causal links, independent of confounding lifestyle factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To employ Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the causal effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of eight distinct cardiovascular diseases.
- To differentiate direct causal impacts from observational associations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized up to 94 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables for alcohol consumption.
- Obtained genetic association estimates for CVDs from large-scale consortia and UK Biobank data.
- Applied various MR methods including inverse variance-weighted, weighted median, MR-PRESSO, MR-Egger, and multivariable MR.
Main Results:
- Genetically predicted higher alcohol consumption showed a consistent association with an increased risk of stroke (OR 1.27 per SD increase) and peripheral artery disease (OR 3.05 per SD increase).
- Evidence suggested potential positive associations with coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and abdominal aortic aneurysm, though some attenuated after adjusting for smoking.
- No significant associations were found for heart failure, venous thromboembolism, or aortic valve stenosis.
Conclusions:
- This study provides robust evidence for a causal link between higher alcohol consumption and elevated risks of stroke and peripheral artery disease.
- Further research is warranted to definitively establish the causal role of alcohol in other cardiovascular conditions.
Keywords:
alcohol drinkingcardiovascular diseasescoronary artery diseaseodds ratioperipheral artery diseasestrokeMore Related Videos
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