Causal association between dietary habits and aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm: Mendelian randomization study

Numerous studies have emphasized the health benefits of dietary habits, particularly concerning arterial diseases. Nevertheless, the relationship between dietary habits and the risk of aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm remains unclear globally. This study aims to explore potential causal relationships between dietary habits and these 2 types of aortic disease. We analyzed data from genome-wide association studies, which included 34 dietary habits from the Nicola Pirastu study and summary statistics from the FinnGen R11 database regarding aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm, to evaluate the association between dietary habits and these conditions. We primarily employed inverse variance weighting as the analytical method, supplemented by other analyses including weighted median, Mendelian randomization-Egger, simple model, and weighted model, and assessed the robustness of the results by sensitivity analysis. Inverse variance weighting analysis showed that fish consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06-0.53, P = .002) and oily fish consumption (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.03-0.56, P = .006) were associated with a reduced risk of aortic dissection. Dry fruit consumption (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22-0.82, P = .011) and oily fish consumption (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.35-0.96, P = .033) were associated with a reduced risk of aortic aneurysm. The Cochran heterogeneity test indicated no significant heterogeneity among single-nucleotide polymorphisms (P > .05) and no substantial pleiotropy was detected (Mendelian randomization-Egger intercept P > .05, global test P > .05). However, no causal relationship between other dietary habits and aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm was observed (P > .05). This study provides evidence to support a causal relationship between dietary habits and reduced risk of aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm, providing valuable insights for future aortic disease prevention strategies.