ArticleLipids in health and disease2024
The causal relationship between human blood metabolites and the risk of visceral obesity: a mendelian randomization analysis.
Article in Lipids in health and disease, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Blood-based obesity biomarkers and their relevance for disease risk.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2026Review
- Altered Lipid and Neurotransmitter Metabolism as Potential Mechanisms of Weight Gain in Women With HIV Initiating INSTIs in a Pilot Study.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2026Article
- Visceral fat area to skeletal muscle mass ratio is linked to albuminuria.Hormones (Athens, Greece) · 2025Article
- Novel Visceral Obesity Indicators and Associated Metabolic Fingerprint in Incident Diabetic Retinopathy.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Article
- Causal role of the plasma lipidome in the occurrence and progression of chronic kidney disease: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.Diabetology & metabolic syndrome · 2025Article
- Genetic prediction of blood metabolites and causal relationships with pain associated with temporomandibular disorders: a Mendelian randomization study.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2025Article
- Genome-wide association study of plasma amino acids and Mendelian randomization for cardiometabolic traits.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the Role of Glycine Metabolism in Coronary Artery Disease: Insights from Human Genetics and Mouse Models.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Advances in Mendelian Randomization Studies of Obesity Over the Past Decade: Uncovering Key Genetic Mechanisms.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025Review
- TEX10: A Novel Drug Target and Potential Therapeutic Direction for Sleep Apnea Syndrome.Nature and science of sleep · 2025Article
- Causal effects of genetically determined metabolites on androgenetic alopecia: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2024Article
- Causality of Blood Metabolites on Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: Insights From a Genetic Perspective.Journal of diabetes research · 2024Article
- Association Between Visceral Obesity and Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Study.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2024Article
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2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWe aimed to explore the causal relationship between blood metabolites and the risk of visceral obesity, as measured by visceral adipose tissue (VAT).
methodsSummary statistics for 486 blood metabolites and total, as well as sex-stratified, MRI-derived VAT measurements, adjusted for body mass index (BMI) and height, were collected from previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) design was used. Comprehensive evaluation was further conducted, including sensitivity analysis, linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) regression, Steiger test, and metabolic pathway analysis.
resultsAfter multiple testing correction, arachidonate (20:4n6) has been implicated in VAT accumulation (β = 0.35, 95%CI:0.18-0.52, P < 0.001; FDR = 0.025). Additionally, several blood metabolites were identified as potentially having causal relationship (FDR < 0.10). Among them, lysine (β = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.28-1.06, P < 0.001; FDR = 0.074), proline (β = 0.30, 95%CI:0.13-0.48, P < 0.001; FDR = 0.082), valerate (β = 0.50, 95%CI:0.23-0.78, P < 0.001, FDR = 0.091) are associated with an increased risk of VAT accumulation. On the other hand, glycine (β=-0.21, 95%CI: -0.33-0.09), P < 0.001, FDR = 0.076) have a protective effect against VAT accumulation. Most blood metabolites showed consistent trends between different sexes. Multivariable MR analysis demonstrated the effect of genetically predicted arachidonate (20:4n6) and proline on VAT remained after accounting for BMI and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). There is no evidence of heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and reverse causality.
conclusionOur MR findings suggest that these metabolites may serve as biomarkers, as well as for future mechanistic exploration and drug target selection of visceral obesity.
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