Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomization
Abstract Background Whether obesity is a cause or consequence of low physical activity levels and more sedentary time has not yet been fully elucidated. Better instrumental variables and a more thorough consideration of potential confounding variables that may influence the causal inference between...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Communications Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00407-5 |
| _version_ | 1797414207220613120 |
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| author | Zhe Wang George Davey Smith Ruth J. F. Loos Marcel den Hoed |
| author_facet | Zhe Wang George Davey Smith Ruth J. F. Loos Marcel den Hoed |
| author_sort | Zhe Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Whether obesity is a cause or consequence of low physical activity levels and more sedentary time has not yet been fully elucidated. Better instrumental variables and a more thorough consideration of potential confounding variables that may influence the causal inference between physical activity and obesity are needed. Methods Leveraging results from our recent genome-wide association study for leisure time moderate-to-vigorous intensity (MV) physical activity and screen time, we here disentangle the causal relationships between physical activity, sedentary behavior, education—defined by years of schooling—and body mass index (BMI), using multiple univariable and multivariable Mendelian Randomization (MR) approaches. Results Univariable MR analyses suggest bidirectional causal effects of physical activity and sedentary behavior with BMI. However, multivariable MR analyses that take years of schooling into account suggest that more MV physical activity causes a lower BMI, and a higher BMI causes more screen time, but not vice versa. In addition, more years of schooling causes higher levels of MV physical activity, less screen time, and lower BMI. Conclusions In conclusion, our results highlight the beneficial effect of education on improved health and suggest that a more physically active lifestyle leads to lower BMI, while sedentary behavior is a consequence of higher BMI. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:29:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d995e3dff327414f8e7508ace2aac04d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2730-664X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:29:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-d995e3dff327414f8e7508ace2aac04d2023-12-03T12:34:10ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Medicine2730-664X2023-11-01311610.1038/s43856-023-00407-5Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomizationZhe Wang0George Davey Smith1Ruth J. F. Loos2Marcel den Hoed3The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol and NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research CenterThe Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiThe Beijer Laboratory and Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and SciLifeLabAbstract Background Whether obesity is a cause or consequence of low physical activity levels and more sedentary time has not yet been fully elucidated. Better instrumental variables and a more thorough consideration of potential confounding variables that may influence the causal inference between physical activity and obesity are needed. Methods Leveraging results from our recent genome-wide association study for leisure time moderate-to-vigorous intensity (MV) physical activity and screen time, we here disentangle the causal relationships between physical activity, sedentary behavior, education—defined by years of schooling—and body mass index (BMI), using multiple univariable and multivariable Mendelian Randomization (MR) approaches. Results Univariable MR analyses suggest bidirectional causal effects of physical activity and sedentary behavior with BMI. However, multivariable MR analyses that take years of schooling into account suggest that more MV physical activity causes a lower BMI, and a higher BMI causes more screen time, but not vice versa. In addition, more years of schooling causes higher levels of MV physical activity, less screen time, and lower BMI. Conclusions In conclusion, our results highlight the beneficial effect of education on improved health and suggest that a more physically active lifestyle leads to lower BMI, while sedentary behavior is a consequence of higher BMI.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00407-5 |
| spellingShingle | Zhe Wang George Davey Smith Ruth J. F. Loos Marcel den Hoed Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomization Communications Medicine |
| title | Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomization |
| title_full | Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomization |
| title_fullStr | Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomization |
| title_short | Distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via Mendelian randomization |
| title_sort | distilling causality between physical activity traits and obesity via mendelian randomization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00407-5 |
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