Relationship between educational attainment and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A two-sample Mendelian...

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Observational studies suggest an inverse relationship between education and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
• Establishing causality for this association has been challenging due to potential confounding factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal relationship between educational attainment and the risk of developing NAFLD.
• To leverage Mendelian randomization to infer causality from observational data.

Main Methods:

• Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses were conducted using large-scale genetic and phenotypic datasets.
• Genetically predicted educational attainment (1,271 instruments, 1,131,881 participants) was assessed against liver fat and electronic health record-based NAFLD.
• Sensitivity analyses included education-related traits like cognition and math ability.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant inverse association was observed between genetically predicted educational attainment and both liver fat and EHR-based NAFLD.
• Inverse-variance weighted analysis indicated a protective effect of higher education on NAFLD risk.
• Sensitivity analyses using alternative MR methods and education-related traits yielded consistent findings.

Conclusions:

• The study provides evidence for a causal, protective effect of higher education on NAFLD risk.
• Findings highlight the need for societal interventions aimed at individuals with lower educational attainment to mitigate NAFLD burden.
• This research underscores the importance of education as a social determinant of liver health.