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2000
Volume 32, Issue 40
  • ISSN: 0929-8673
  • E-ISSN: 1875-533X
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Abstract

Background

The interplay between dietary habits and the development of Diverticular Disease (DD) has long been a subject of vibrant debate.

Objective

Utilizing Mendelian Randomization (MR), this study aims to meticulously examine the causal dynamics at play.

Methods

The foundation for the Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) on DD was established using a dataset from the FinnGen consortium, encompassing 33,619 patients and 329,381 control participants. Data on 18 dietary habits and DD for the validation cohort were procured from the UK Biobank. An MR analysis was executed to delve into the causal relationship between dietary habits and DD, adhering to a rigorous Bonferroni correction threshold of 3.00E-03. Our main analysis method was the Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) approach. To improve the accuracy and reliability of our study, we also conducted heterogeneity analysis, tests for horizontal pleiotropy, outlier identification, and “leave-one-out” sensitivity analysis.

Results

Our analysis unearthed a potential causal association between the consumption of dried fruits and a lower risk of developing DD (IVW: odds ratio (OR) 0.372, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.272 - 0.509, = 5.79E-10), a finding that was corroborated in the validation cohort (IVW: OR 0.975, 95% CI 0.961 - 0.990, = 1.04E-03). Conversely, our results do not substantiate a causal link between the consumption of alcohol, dietary fiber, and red meat and the risk of DD.

Conclusion

Our detailed MR analyses show that eating dried fruit lowers the risk of DD, providing strong support for prevention and treatment approaches for DD.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Bentham Science Publishers.
This is an open access article published under CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
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Exploring the Diet-diverticular Disease Link: Insights from a Comprehensive Mendelian Randomization Study
Curr. Med. Chem. 32, 9255 (2025); https://doi.org/10.2174/0109298673342480250203111209
/content/journals/cmc/10.2174/0109298673342480250203111209
/content/journals/cmc/10.2174/0109298673342480250203111209
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  • Article Type:     Research Article
Keyword(s): alcohol; Causal relationship; diet-diverticula disease; GWAS; mendelian randomization (MR); single nucleotide polymorphism

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