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Association between sleep-related phenotypes and gut microbiota: a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization
Xiaoqiu Wang1, Chi Wang1, Kai Liu1
1Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Frontiers in Microbiology
|February 19, 2024
Summary
This study reveals a causal link between gut bacteria and sleep issues, identifying specific microbes that may influence insomnia, sleep duration, and snoring. These findings offer new avenues for preventing sleep disorders.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Sleep science
- Genetics
Background:
- Growing evidence links the gut microbiome to sleep disturbances.
- Previous studies were observational, lacking causal evidence.
- Causality between specific gut bacteria and sleep traits remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if specific gut microbiota causally influence seven sleep-related traits.
- To explore potential microbial targets for insomnia prevention strategies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Mendelian randomization (MR) with a large gut microbiota genetic dataset (MiBioGen, 18,340 individuals).
- Analyzed 131 genera and 196 bacterial taxa, linking them to sleep-related phenotypes (SRPs) from IEU OpenGWAS.
- Employed rigorous statistical methods (IVW, MR-Egger) and sensitivity analyses with Bonferroni correction.
Main Results:
- Established causal links between gut microbiota and sleep-related phenotypes.
- Found increased Negativicutes and Selenomonadales associated with higher insomnia risk (OR=1.03).
- Linked higher Lentisphaerae to longer sleep duration (OR=1.02) and Senegalimassilia to reduced snoring (OR=0.98).
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated a causal relationship between specific gut bacteria and sleep-related phenotypes.
- Highlights the potential of targeting the gut microbiome for sleep disorder interventions.
- Provides a foundation for future research and clinical applications in sleep medicine.
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