Observational studyNature genetics2022
Mendelian randomization analyses support causal relationships between blood metabolites and the gut microbiome.
Observational study in Nature genetics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 198 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
198 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review of molecular signaling in the muscle-brain-gut axis: exercise-induced myokines and microbial metabolites as key mediators.Molecular biology reports · 2026Pooled it
- Gut microbiome and frailty: insight from genetic correlation and mendelian randomization.Gut microbes · 2023Pooled it
- Convergent application of traditional Chinese medicine and gut microbiota in ameliorate of cirrhosis: a data mining and Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Distinct Microbial Taxa Are Associated with LDL-Cholesterol Reduction after 12 Weeks of Lactobacillus plantarum Intake in Mild Hypercholesterolemia: Results of a Randomized Controlled Study.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2025Trial
- Effects of healthy low-carbohydrate diet and time-restricted eating on weight and gut microbiome in adults with overweight or obesity: Feeding RCT.Cell reports. Medicine · 2024Trial
- Hypertension and gut microbial hydrogenases: a comparison of hydrogen metabolism and etiology.Medical gas research · 2026Article
- Structural Variants in the Human Genome Associated With Gut Microbiome and Blood Metabolic Traits With Potential Causal Links.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- How gut microbiome and blood metabolites drive ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine: a genome-wide association study based on the East Asian population.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Sanhua Tea Alleviates Obesity Symptoms by Improving Blood Lipid Levels, Gut Microbiota, and Liver Metabolome in Mice.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Maternal and infant gut microbiome.iMeta · 2026Review
- Integrative analysis of mortality risk in SFTS using machine learning and genetic approaches.mSphere · 2026Article
- Mechanisms of Gut Microbiota-Derived Metabolites in Treating Hyperuricemia: Natural Products as Interventions.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effects of Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Pathways on Obesity: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization and Case-Control Study.Iranian journal of biotechnology · 2026Article
- Genomic landscape of the human vaginal microbiome is linked to host genetics and population of origin.Nature genetics · 2026Article
- Article
- Shared genetic architecture between ADHD and intelligence varies across ADHD subtypes.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Fibroblast-derived HSD11B1 deficiency drives lung cancer in never-smokers through steroid metabolic imbalance.NPJ precision oncology · 2026Article
- Plasma ceramide mediates the association of peripheral T cells with Alzheimer's disease.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Metabolomics-based and functional validation to explore the effect of the gut microbe-associated metabolite guanidinoacetic acid on rectal adenocarcinoma.Scientific reports · 2026Article
138 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
23 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The gut microbiome has been implicated in a variety of physiological states, but controversy over causality remains unresolved. Here, we performed bidirectional Mendelian randomization analyses on 3,432 Chinese individuals with whole-genome, whole-metagenome, anthropometric and blood metabolic trait data. We identified 58 causal relationships between the gut microbiome and blood metabolites, and replicated 43 of them. Increased relative abundances of fecal Oscillibacter and Alistipes were causally linked to decreased triglyceride concentration. Conversely, blood metabolites such as glutamic acid appeared to decrease fecal Oxalobacter, and members of Proteobacteria were influenced by metabolites such as 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid, alanine, glutamate and selenium. Two-sample Mendelian randomization with data from Biobank Japan partly corroborated results with triglyceride and with uric acid, and also provided causal support for published fecal bacterial markers for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This study illustrates the value of human genetic information to help prioritize gut microbial features for mechanistic and clinical studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
34980918What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.