Plasma lipids, alcohol intake frequency and risk of Osteoarthritis

Plasma lipids and alcohol intake frequency have been reported to be associated with the risk of osteoarthritis (OA). However, it remains inconclusive whether plasma lipids and alcohol intake frequency play a role in the development of OA.
A study employed a comprehensive genome-wide association database to identify independent genetic loci strongly linked to plasma lipids and alcohol intake frequency, which were used as instrumental variables. The causal association between plasma lipids, alcohol intake frequency, and the risk of OA was then analysed using two-sample Mendelian randomization methods with odds ratios (ORs) as the evaluation criteria.
A total of 392 SNPs were included as instrumental variables in this study, including 32 for total cholesterol (TC), 39 for triglycerides (TG), 170 for high-density lipoproteins (HDL), 60 for low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and 91 for alcohol intake frequency.
The results of two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis showed that total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins, and alcohol intake frequency were all considered risk factors for osteoarthritis, and the risk of osteoarthritis increased with their rise.
Source: Wen, MT., Liang, XZ., Luo, D. et al. Plasma lipids, alcohol intake frequency and risk of Osteoarthritis: a Mendelian randomization study. BMC Public Health 23, 1327 (2023).