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Obesity-related biomarkers underlie a shared genetic architecture between childhood body mass index and childhood asthma. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1098. [PMID: 36253437 PMCID: PMC9576683 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04070-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity and asthma are both common diseases with high population burden worldwide. Recent genetic association studies have shown that obesity is associated with asthma in adults. The relationship between childhood obesity and childhood asthma, and the underlying mechanisms linking obesity to asthma remain to be clarified. In the present study, leveraging large-scale genetic data from UK biobank and several other data sources, we investigated the shared genetic components between body mass index (BMI, n = 39620) in children and childhood asthma (ncase = 10524, ncontrol = 373393). We included GWAS summary statistics for nine obesity-related biomarkers to evaluate potential biological mediators underlying obesity and asthma. We found a genetic correlation (Rg = 0.10, P = 0.02) between childhood BMI and childhood asthma, whereas the genetic correlation between adult BMI (n = 371541) and childhood asthma was null (Rg = -0.03, P = 0.21). Genomic structural equation modeling analysis further provided evidence that the genetic effect of childhood BMI on childhood asthma (standardized effect size 0.17, P = 0.009) was not driven by the genetic component of adult BMI. Bayesian colocalization analysis identified a shared causal variant rs12436181 that was mapped to gene AMN using gene expression data in lung tissue. Mendelian randomization showed that the odds ratio of childhood asthma for one standard deviation higher of childhood BMI was 1.13 (95% confidence interval: 0.96-1.34). A systematic survey of obesity-related biomarkers showed that IL-6 and adiponectin are potential biological mediators linking obesity and asthma in children. This large-scale genetic study provides evidence that unique childhood obesity pathways could lead to childhood asthma. The findings shed light on childhood asthma pathogenic mechanisms and prevention.
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Childhood body size directly increases type 1 diabetes risk based on a lifecourse Mendelian randomization approach. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2337. [PMID: 35484151 PMCID: PMC9051135 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29932-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The rising prevalence of childhood obesity has been postulated as an explanation for the increasing rate of individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). In this study, we use Mendelian randomization (MR) to provide evidence that childhood body size has an effect on T1D risk (OR = 2.05 per change in body size category, 95% CI = 1.20 to 3.50, P = 0.008), which remains after accounting for body size at birth and during adulthood using multivariable MR (OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.21 to 4.42, P = 0.013). We validate this direct effect of childhood body size using data from a large-scale T1D meta-analysis based on n = 15,573 cases and n = 158,408 controls (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.21 to 3.12, P = 0.006). We also provide evidence that childhood body size influences risk of asthma, eczema and hypothyroidism, although multivariable MR suggested that these effects are mediated by body size in later life. Our findings support a causal role for higher childhood body size on risk of being diagnosed with T1D, whereas its influence on the other immune-associated diseases is likely explained by a long-term effect of remaining overweight for many years over the lifecourse. The rise in type 1 diabetes is thought to be related to increased childhood obesity, but this relationship is not well understood. In this study, the authors utilize Mendelian randomization to separate the direct and indirect effects of childhood body size on risk of type 1 diabetes and 7 other immune-associated disease outcomes.
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Larsson SC, Burgess S. Causal role of high body mass index in multiple chronic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Mendelian randomization studies. BMC Med 2021; 19:320. [PMID: 34906131 PMCID: PMC8672504 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-021-02188-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that has been associated with a plurality of diseases in observational studies. The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence from Mendelian randomization (MR) studies of the association between body mass index (BMI) and chronic diseases. METHODS PubMed and Embase were searched for MR studies on adult BMI in relation to major chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus; diseases of the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems; and neoplasms. A meta-analysis was performed for each disease by using results from published MR studies and corresponding de novo analyses based on summary-level genetic data from the FinnGen consortium (n = 218,792 individuals). RESULTS In a meta-analysis of results from published MR studies and de novo analyses of the FinnGen consortium, genetically predicted higher BMI was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, 14 circulatory disease outcomes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, five digestive system diseases, three musculoskeletal system diseases, and multiple sclerosis as well as cancers of the digestive system (six cancer sites), uterus, kidney, and bladder. In contrast, genetically predicted higher adult BMI was associated with a decreased risk of Dupuytren's disease, osteoporosis, and breast, prostate, and non-melanoma cancer, and not associated with Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease. CONCLUSIONS The totality of the evidence from MR studies supports a causal role of excess adiposity in a plurality of chronic diseases. Hence, continued efforts to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity are a major public health goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna C Larsson
- Unit of Medical Epidemiology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Unit of Cardiovascular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Stephen Burgess
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Li Y, Chen W, Tian S, Xia S, Yang B. Evaluating the Causal Association Between Educational Attainment and Asthma Using a Mendelian Randomization Design. Front Genet 2021; 12:716364. [PMID: 34434223 PMCID: PMC8381375 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.716364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease. In the past 10 years, genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been widely used to identify the common asthma genetic variants. Importantly, these publicly available asthma GWAS datasets provide important data support to investigate the causal association of kinds of risk factors with asthma by a Mendelian randomization (MR) design. It is known that socioeconomic status is associated with asthma. However, it remains unclear about the causal association between socioeconomic status and asthma. Here, we selected 162 independent educational attainment genetic variants as the potential instruments to evaluate the causal association between educational attainment and asthma using large-scale GWAS datasets of educational attainment (n = 405,072) and asthma (n = 30,810). We conducted a pleiotropy analysis using the MR-Egger intercept test and the MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) test. We performed an MR analysis using inverse-variance weighted, weighted median, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO. The main analysis method inverse-variance weighted indicated that each 1 standard deviation increase in educational attainment (3.6 years) could reduce 35% asthma risk [odds ratio (OR) = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51–0.85, P = 0.001]. Importantly, evidence from other MR methods further supported this finding, including weighted median (OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.38–0.80, P = 0.001), MR-Egger (OR = 0.48, 95% CI 0.16–1.46, P = 0.198), and MR-PRESSO (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.51–0.85, P = 0.0015). Meanwhile, we provide evidence to support that educational attainment protects against asthma risk dependently on cognitive performance using multivariable MR analysis. In summary, we highlight the protective role of educational attainment against asthma. Our findings may have public health applications and deserve further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxia Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Central Hospital, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Wenhao Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Central Hospital, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Shiyao Tian
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Central Hospital, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Shuyue Xia
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Central Hospital, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Biao Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
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Kindblom JM, Bygdell M, Hjelmgren O, Martikainen J, Rosengren A, Bergström G, Ohlsson C. Pubertal Body Mass Index Change Is Associated With Adult Coronary Atherosclerosis and Acute Coronary Events in Men. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2021; 41:2318-2327. [PMID: 34134518 PMCID: PMC8288483 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.121.316265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny M Kindblom
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, the Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden (J.M.K., M.B., C.O.).,Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Pediatric Clinical Research Center, Gothenburg, Sweden (J.M.K.)
| | - Maria Bygdell
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, the Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden (J.M.K., M.B., C.O.)
| | - Ola Hjelmgren
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (O.H., A.R., G.B.).,Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Clinical Physiology, Gothenburg, Sweden (O.H., G.B.)
| | - Jari Martikainen
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden (J.M.)
| | - Annika Rosengren
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (O.H., A.R., G.B.).,Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Medicine/Östra, Gothenburg, Sweden (A.R.)
| | - Göran Bergström
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (O.H., A.R., G.B.).,Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Clinical Physiology, Gothenburg, Sweden (O.H., G.B.)
| | - Claes Ohlsson
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, the Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden (J.M.K., M.B., C.O.).,Region Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Drug Treatment, Gothenburg, Sweden (C.O.)
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Ha TW, Jung HU, Kim DJ, Baek EJ, Lee WJ, Lim JE, Kim HK, Kang JO, Oh B. Association Between Environmental Factors and Asthma Using Mendelian Randomization: Increased Effect of Body Mass Index on Adult-Onset Moderate-to-Severe Asthma Subtypes. Front Genet 2021; 12:639905. [PMID: 34093643 PMCID: PMC8172971 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.639905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases throughout all age groups, its etiology remains unknown, primarily due to its heterogeneous characteristics. We examined the causal effects of various environmental factors on asthma using Mendelian randomization and determined whether the susceptibility to asthma due to the causal effect of a risk factor differs between asthma subtypes, based on age of onset, severity of asthma, and sex. We performed Mendelian randomization analyses (inverse variance weighted, weighted median, and generalized summary-data-based Mendelian randomization) using UK Biobank data to estimate the causal effects of 69 environmental factors on asthma. Additional sensitivity analyses (MR-Egger regression, Cochran’s Q test, clumping, and reverse Mendelian randomization) were performed to ensure minimal or no pleiotropy. For confirmation, two-sample setting analyses were replicated using BMI SNPs that had been reported by a meta-genome-wide association study in Japanese and European (GIANT) populations and a genome-wide association study in control individuals from the UK Biobank. We found that BMI causally affects the development of asthma and that the adult-onset moderate-to-severe asthma subtype is the most susceptible to causal inference by BMI. Further, it is likely that the female subtype is more susceptible to BMI than males among adult asthma cases. Our findings provide evidence that obesity is a considerable risk factor in asthma patients, particularly in adult-onset moderate-to-severe asthma cases, and that weight loss is beneficial for reducing the burden of asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae-Woong Ha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hae-Un Jung
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Dong Jun Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Eun Ju Baek
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Won Jun Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ji Eun Lim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Han Kyul Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ji-One Kang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Bermseok Oh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea
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