Causal relationship between green tea intake and gastrointestinal disorders: a two-sample Mendelian randomization...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Genetic Epidemiology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• The relationship between green tea consumption and gastrointestinal disorders is debated.
• This study investigates potential causal links using a robust genetic approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the causal association between genetically predicted green tea intake and various gastrointestinal disorders.
• To clarify the controversial link between green tea and digestive health.

Main Methods:

• A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study design was employed.
• Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data identified genetic variants as instrumental variables.
• Inverse variance weighting (IVW) and multivariate MR analyses were performed, with sensitivity analyses for robustness.

Main Results:

• Univariable MR indicated associations between green tea intake and gastroesophageal reflux, diverticulosis, Crohn's disease, and cholangitis.
• Multivariate MR suggested a decreased risk of oesophagitis and gastric cancer, but an increased risk of Crohn's disease with higher green tea intake.
• Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of these findings.

Conclusions:

• Genetically predicted green tea intake shows suggestive causal associations with oesophagitis, gastric cancer, and Crohn's disease.
• Further validation with larger GWAS datasets is recommended to confirm these associations.