Causal effect of obesity on cataract and mediating roles of metabolites:a Mendelian randomization studyOA

AIM:To investigate the causal effect of obesity on cataract risk and explores the potential mediating roles of metabolites using Mendelian randomization(MR).METHODS:Summary-level data from large-scale genome-wide association studies to examine the relationship between obesity and cataract were utilized.Obesity-related traits,including body mass index(BMI),waist-to-hip ratio(WHR),and waist circumference(WC).A two-sample MR approach was employed to assess the causal effect of obesity on cataract risk,while potential mediators were identified from suitable genome-wide association studies(GWAS)datasets.Additionally,a metabolic pathway analysis was conducted.RESULTS:An increase of 1 standard deviation(SD)in BMI,WHR,and WC was associated with a significantly higher risk of cataract(BMI:odds ratio(OR)1.0017,95%confidence interval(CI):1.0001-1.0032,P=0.0320;WHR:OR 1.0029,95%CI:1.0006-1.0051,P=0.0129;WC:OR 1.0020,95%CI:1.0001-1.0038,P=0.0390].These associations remained robust after adjusting for confounding factors in multivariable MR analysis.Furthermore,a two-step MR analysis identified eight potential metabolic mediators,with one mediator showing a significant causal role in the relationship between obesity and cataract.CONCLUSION:This work highlights the importance of addressing obesity as a modifiable risk factor for cataracts,particularly through metabolic pathways.