Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32207040›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2020

Mendel's laws, Mendelian randomization and causal inference in observational data: substantive and nomenclatural issues.

George Davey Smith, Michael V Holmes, Neil M Davies, Shah Ebrahim

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 148 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
148citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

148 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  18. Deriving Mendelian Randomization-Based Causal Networks of Brain Imaging Phenotypes and Bipolar Disorder.Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2026
    Article
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  20. Review

88 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

George Davey SmithMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK. PA-IEUdirector@bristol.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1407-8314
Michael V HolmesMedical Research Council Population Health Research Unit (MRC PHRU), Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Nuffield, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6617-0879
Neil M DaviesMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2460-0508
Shah EbrahimLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9438-1438

Funding

British Heart Foundation FS/18/23/33512Medical Research Council MC_UU_00011/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We respond to criticisms of Mendelian randomization (MR) by Mukamal, Stampfer and Rimm (MSR). MSR consider that MR is receiving too much attention and should be renamed. We explain how MR links to Mendel's laws, the origin of the name and our lack of concern regarding nomenclature. We address MSR's substantive points regarding MR of alcohol and cardiovascular disease, an issue on which they dispute the MR findings. We demonstrate that their strictures with respect to population stratification, confounding, weak instrument bias, pleiotropy and confounding have been addressed, and summarise how the field has advanced in relation to the issues they raise. We agree with MSR that "the hard problem of conducting high-quality, reproducible epidemiology" should be addressed by epidemiologists. However we see more evidence of confrontation of this issue within MR, as opposed to conventional observational epidemiology, within which the same methods that have demonstrably failed in the past are simply rolled out into new areas, leaving their previous failures unexamined.

Indexed as

Genetic PleiotropyCardiovascular DiseasesGenetic VariationHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisMolecular EpidemiologyAlcoholCausal inferenceGenetic epidemiologyMendelian randomizationNutritional epidemiology

Identifiers

PMID32207040
PMCPMC7125255

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.