Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40278995›Full record

ArticleHormones (Athens, Greece)2025

Causal associations between thyroid function and sarcopenia-related traits: a Mendelian randomization study.

Ting Sun, Jialu Wu, Zhe Yan, Lu Liu, Hui Huang, Hongdie Liu, Li Tian

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Article in Hormones (Athens, Greece), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ting Sun *Department of Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Jialu Wu *Laboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Zhe YanDepartment of Endocrinology & Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Lu LiuLaboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Hui HuangDepartment of Endocrinology & Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Hongdie LiuDepartment of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital, Wenjiang 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Li TianLaboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China. tianli1981@scu.edu.cn.

Funding

Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province 2023YFSY0039
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectiveAs the global population ages, the incidence of sarcopenia increases, resulting in increasing numbers of patients with impairments in physical function. Thyroid function disorders may contribute to the pathogenesis of sarcopenia. This study aimed to establish a causal relationship between thyroid hormones (TH) and sarcopenia using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis method. STUDY

designA two-sample MR study was conducted using summary-level data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) which included publicly available pooled statistics for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and the FT3 to FT4 ratio from the Thyroidomics Consortium, as well as summary statistics for sarcopenia-related traits, such as appendicular lean mass (ALM), whole-body lean mass (WBLM), grip strength (left and right), and walking pace from the UK Biobank. The MR analysis used genetic exposure tools for assessment of thyroid function (TSH, FT4, FT3, and the FT3 to FT4 ratio) and outcome measures for sarcopenia (ALM, WBLM, grip strength, and walking pace). The inverse variance weighted method was employed to estimate the genetic predictions of the causal effect of thyroid function on sarcopenia risk. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted to validate the reliability of the MR results.

resultsCorrelations were observed between ALM and several indicators, as follows: TSH (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.04), FT4 (OR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93-0.98), FT3 (OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.03-1.15), and the FT3 to FT4 ratio (OR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.11-1.42). Furthermore, causal relationships were identified between WBLM and TSH (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01-1.03), as well as low TSH (OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.99-1.00) and high TSH (OR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-1.00). Walking pace was associated with low TSH (OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.99-1.00), whereas grip strength was related to TSH (OR: 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00-1.02) and low TSH (OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.99-1.00). High TSH (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.08) and FT3 (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.92-1.00) levels were associated with right grip strength.

conclusionThese results indicate a causal relationship between thyroid function and sarcopenia, highlighting FT3 and the FT3 to FT4 ratio as key indicators. However, total triiodothyronine (TT3) emerges as a potential indicator that requires further investigation in future studies.

Indexed as

SarcopeniaThyroid GlandThyroid HormonesGenome-Wide Association StudyHand StrengthHumansMaleMendelian Randomization AnalysisThyroid Function TestsThyrotropinThyroxineTriiodothyronineThyroid HormonesThyrotropinThyroxineTriiodothyronineFT3FT3 to FT4 ratioMuscle massSarcopeniaThyroid function

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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.