Taller height and risk of coronary heart disease and cancer: A within-sibship Mendelian randomization study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Taller people have a lower risk of coronary heart disease but a higher risk of many cancers. Mendelian randomization (MR) studies in unrelated individuals (population MR) have suggested that these relationships are potentially causal. However, population MR studies are sensitive to demography (population stratification, assortative mating) and familial (indirect genetic) effects.

Methods

In this study, we performed within-sibship MR analyses using 78,988 siblings, a design robust against demography and indirect genetic effects of parents. For comparison, we also applied population MR and estimated associations with measured height.

Results

Within-sibship MR estimated that 1 SD taller height lowers the odds of coronary heart disease by 14% (95% CI: 3-23%) bu

SUBMITTER: Howe LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8947759 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature