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Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Causal relationship between body mass index, type 2 diabetes and bone mineral density: Mendelian randomization
Weiwei Ma1, Xiaohong Zhou1, Xin Huang1
1School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Orthopedics, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430061, China.
Objective:
To reveal the relationship between Body Mass Index(BMI), type 2 diabetes, and bone mineral density(BMD) using a mendelian randomization (MR) approach.
Methods:
GWAS data on BMI, type 2 diabetes, and BMD were selected from the IEU GWAS database at the University of Bristol.Univariable, multivariable, and mediated MR analyses were used to explore the relationship between BMI, type 2 diabetes, and BMD. beta(β) values were given, and three methods, including inverse variance weighting, MR-Egger regression, and weighted median, were used in this analysis.
Results:
Univariable mendelian randomization (UVMR) results showed that BMI and type 2 diabetes were positively associated with BMD. However, the association between BMI and BMD was insignificant in the multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) analysis, while that between type 2 diabetes and BMD remained significant. Mediated MR analysis indicated that type 2 diabetes mediated the regulation of BMD by BMI.
Conclusion:
This study provides evidence supporting a positive causal association between BMI, type 2 diabetes, and BMD. Type 2 diabetes acts as a mediator in the regulation of BMD by BMI, indicating that both BMI and type 2 diabetes exert a protective influence on BMD.
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