Causal association between dietary factors and Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Mendelian randomization study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Nutritional Science
• Genetic Epidemiology

Background:

• The relationship between diet and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is not well understood.
• Investigating causal dietary links to PBC is crucial for understanding disease etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the causal association between dietary habits and the risk of developing primary biliary cholangitis (PBC).
• To assess potential mediating roles of known PBC risk factors in diet-PBC relationships.

Main Methods:

• A 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was utilized.
• Publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) data were analyzed using various MR methods (IVW, MR-Egger, weighted median).
• Sensitivity analyses were performed to confirm the robustness of the findings.

Main Results:

• Higher cereal consumption showed a significant inverse association with PBC risk.
• Increased intake of nonoily fish was significantly associated with a higher risk of PBC.
• Nominal associations were observed for beer/cider, bread, salad/raw vegetables, and tea, though some effect estimates were imprecise and require cautious interpretation.

Conclusions:

• This MR study provides genetic evidence suggesting cereal intake may protect against PBC, while nonoily fish intake may increase risk.
• Further research in larger cohorts is needed to validate nominal associations and investigate implausible effect sizes.
• Dietary factors, supported by genetic predisposition, may play a role in PBC development.