The Causal Relationship and Association between Biomarkers, Dietary Intake, and Diabetic Retinopathy: Insights from Mendelian Randomization and Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT:

Backgruound

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of vision loss, linked to hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Despite advancements in DR treatments, approximately 40% of patients do not respond effectively, underscoring the need for novel, noninvasive biomarkers to predict DR risk and progression. This study investigates causal relationships between specific biomarkers, dietary factors, and DR development using Mendelian randomization (MR) and cross-sectional data.

Methods

We conducted a two-phase analysis combining MR and cross-sectional methods. First, MR analysis examined causal associations between 35 biomarkers, 226 dietary factors, and DR progression using data from the UK Biobank and Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) datasets. Second, a cross-

SUBMITTER: Cui X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12436034 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature