Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36882828›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2023

Circulating levels of micronutrients and risk of infections: a Mendelian randomization study.

Helene M Flatby, Anuradha Ravi, Jan K Damås, Erik Solligård, Tormod Rogne

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
50citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
16.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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

50 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 96 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. Genetic Correlation and Causal Inference Between Female Fat Distribution and Preeclampsia: An Integrative Genomic Study.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Helene M FlatbyGemini Center for Sepsis Research, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Prinsesse Kristinas gate 3, Akutten og Hjerte-lunge-senteret, 3. etg, 7491, Trondheim, Norway. helene.flatby@ntnu.no.ORCID 0000-0002-5700-020X
Anuradha RaviGemini Center for Sepsis Research, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Prinsesse Kristinas gate 3, Akutten og Hjerte-lunge-senteret, 3. etg, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-5668-0090
Jan K DamåsGemini Center for Sepsis Research, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Prinsesse Kristinas gate 3, Akutten og Hjerte-lunge-senteret, 3. etg, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.ORCID 0000-0003-4268-671X
Erik SolligårdGemini Center for Sepsis Research, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Prinsesse Kristinas gate 3, Akutten og Hjerte-lunge-senteret, 3. etg, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-6173-3580
Tormod RogneGemini Center for Sepsis Research, Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, NTNU, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Prinsesse Kristinas gate 3, Akutten og Hjerte-lunge-senteret, 3. etg, 7491, Trondheim, Norway.ORCID 0000-0002-9581-7384
Norwegian University of Science and Technology · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMicronutrients play an essential role at every stage of the immune response, and deficiencies can therefore lead to increased susceptibility to infections. Previous observational studies and randomized controlled trials of micronutrients and infections are limited. We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to evaluate the effect of blood levels of eight micronutrients (copper, iron, selenium, zinc, beta-carotene, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and vitamin D) on the risk of three infections (gastrointestinal infections, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections).

methodsTwo-sample MR was conducted using publicly available summary statistics from independent cohorts of European ancestry. For the three infections, we used data from UK Biobank and FinnGen. Inverse variance-weighted MR analyses were performed, together with a range of sensitivity analyses. The threshold for statistical significance was set at P < 2.08E-03.

resultsWe found a significant association between circulating levels of copper and risk of gastrointestinal infections, where a one standard deviation increase in blood levels of copper was associated with an odds ratio of gastrointestinal infections of 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.87 to 0.97, P = 1.38E-03). This finding was robust in extensive sensitivity analyses. There was no clear association between the other micronutrients and the risk of infection.

conclusionsOur results strongly support a role of copper in the susceptibility to gastrointestinal infections.

Indexed as

CopperMicronutrientsAscorbic AcidHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisVitamin B 12Ascorbic AcidCopperMicronutrientsVitamin B 12CopperGastrointestinal infectionsInfectionsMendelian randomizationMicronutrients

Identifiers

PMID36882828
PMCPMC9993583
OpenAlexW4323349429

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.