Causal association between dried fruit intake and risk of osteoarthritis: A Mendelian randomization study

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Epidemiology
• Genetic Epidemiology

Background:

• Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease with significant public health implications.
• Dietary factors are increasingly recognized for their potential role in OA pathogenesis and progression.
• The specific impact of dried fruit intake on OA risk remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal relationship between dried fruit consumption and the risk of developing Osteoarthritis (OA).
• To leverage genetic variants as instrumental variables for a robust causal inference analysis.

Main Methods:

• A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted.
• Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for dried fruit intake (n=421,764) and OA (n=484,598) were utilized.
• Inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median (WM), and MR-Egger regression methods were employed to assess causality.

Main Results:

• The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method suggested a causal association between dried fruit intake and OA (P=0.039).
• The weighted median (WM) approach also indicated a causal association, with dried fruit intake linked to decreased OA risk (P=0.026).
• MR-Egger regression found no evidence of directional pleiotropy (P=0.984) but did not support a causal association (P=0.610).
• Cochran's Q test indicated heterogeneity, but I2 statistics suggested low levels.

Conclusions:

• Mendelian randomization analysis provides evidence supporting a potential causal association between dried fruit intake and a reduced risk of Osteoarthritis.
• Further research may be warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.