Extension of Mendelian Randomization to Identify Earliest Manifestations of Alzheimer Disease: Association of Genetic Risk Score for Alzheimer Disease With Lower Body Mass Index by Age 50 Years.

ABSTRACT: Weight loss or lower body mass index (BMI) could be an early symptom of Alzheimer disease (AD), but when this begins to emerge is difficult to estimate with traditional observational data. In an extension of Mendelian randomization, we leveraged variation in genetic risk for late-onset AD risk to estimate the causal effect of AD on BMI and the earliest ages at which AD-related weight loss (or lower BMI as a proxy) occurs. We studied UK Biobank participants enrolled in 2006-2010, who were without dementia, aged 39-73, with European genetic ancestry. BMI was calculated with measured height/weight (weight (kg)/height (m)2). An AD genetic risk score (AD-GRS) was calculated based on 23 genetic variants. Using linear regressions, we tested the association of AD-GRS with BMI, stratified by decade

SUBMITTER: Brenowitz WD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8576370 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature