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Causations between obesity, diabetes, lifestyle factors and the risk of low back pain

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Abstract

Background

Despite numerous observational studies, the causal relationship between obesity—measured by body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC)—as well as type 2 diabetes (T2D), lifestyle habits, and susceptibility to low back pain (LBP) remains obscure.

Methods

This investigation employed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore causality, using genetic variants linked to relevant factors from genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Specifically, we selected independent genetic variants related to BMI, WC, T2D, smoking, alcohol consumption, and coffee intake from established GWASs, all of which demonstrated genome-wide significance. The comparative data for LBP were derived from a GWAS involving European subjects, under the auspices of the renowned MRC-IEU (Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit) consortium.

Results

Elevated BMI and WC were associated with odds ratios of 1.002 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.001–1.004, p < 0.001) and 1.003 (95% CI = 1.002–1.004, p < 0.001) for LBP per standard deviation (SD) increase, respectively. Regarding smoking initiation and coffee consumption, the odds ratios stood at 1.002 (95% CI = 1.001–1.004, p = 0.001) and 1.004 (95% CI = 1.001–1.008, p = 0.034) for LBP, respectively. However, an augmented log odds ratio for T2D and each SD rise in alcohol consumption frequency revealed no significant causal impact on LBP risk.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate a potential causal link between obesity, smoking, and coffee intake in the genesis of LBP, suggesting that mitigating these factors could contribute to LBP prevention.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Union_of_Researchers (WeChat Subscription) since we have learned the analysis methods in their WeChat Subscription. We also acknowledged the reviewers and editors who helped us improve our manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Huaian No. 1 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210000, Jiangsu, China

    Yi Liu, Gang Tang & Jinyu Li

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  1. Yi Liu
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Correspondence to Jinyu Li.

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Liu, Y., Tang, G. & Li, J. Causations between obesity, diabetes, lifestyle factors and the risk of low back pain. Eur Spine J 33, 525–532 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-023-08069-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-023-08069-6

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