The effect of circulating micronutrients on nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A Mendelian randomization study

This study investigates the causal relationships between circulating levels of 14 circulating micronutrients and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. We conducted a 2-sample MR study using genome-wide association studies datasets. Data on 14 circulating micronutrients were obtained from UK Biobank datasets. The genome-wide association studies dataset of NPC (malignant neoplasm of nasopharynx) was downloaded from the FinnGen database. MR analyses were performed using the inverse variance weighted method, the MR-Egger method, and the weighted median method, with sensitivity analyses including MR-Egger, MR-PRESSO, and leave-one-out analyses to test for pleiotropy and heterogeneity. Using the inverse variance weighted method, MR univariate analysis showed that vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc may have a causal relationship with the risk of NPC. Subsequently, MR multivariate analysis indicated that vitamin C (odds ratio: 1.55 × 1061, 95% confidence interval: 8.52 × 1011-2.81 × 10110, P = .015) and vitamin D (odds ratio: 8.62 × 10-10, 95% confidence interval: 1.73 × 10-17-0.043, P = .021) have a causal relationship with the risk of NPC. Sensitivity analyses confirmed no evidence of directional pleiotropy or significant heterogeneity, supporting the robustness of the findings. Our results provides evidence for causal relationships between circulating levels of vitamin C and vitamin D and the risk of NPC. Our findings underscore the importance of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels to potentially reduce NPC risk, while highlighting the need for caution regarding vitamin C supplementation in at-risk populations. Further research is essential to clarify the mechanisms underlying these relationships.