Research overview
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BackgroundThe incidence of neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) is increasing, and currently, there are no curative treatments available for these conditions. The potential benefits of supplementation with diet-derived antioxidants and their metabolites for NDDs remain a subject of debate. In this study, we employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the potential causal relationship between elevated circulating antioxidant levels and the risk of NDDs.MethodsWe used single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to diet-derived antioxidants and p ResultsGenetically predicted levels of α-tocopherol and carotene were found to be associated with a reduced risk of ALS, with odds ratios (OR) of 0.45 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31, 0.66; p = 3.97 × 10^-5) and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.99; p = 0.0427), respectively. Similarly, vitamin E (OR 0.70; [95% CI 0.50, 0.98]; p = 0.0358) and ascorbate (OR 0.85; [95% CI: 0.73, 0.98]; p = 0.0216) demonstrated a protective effect against PD. Furthermore, elevated levels of retinol were associated with a reduced incidence of FTD, with an OR of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86, 0.99; p = 0.0196), although they were also linked to an increased risk of ALS (OR 1.02 [95% CI 1.01, 1.04], p = 0.0017) and PD (OR 1.06 [95% CI 1.02, 1.09], p = 0.0121). No significant causal association was observed between circulating antioxidants and AD.ConclusionThis MR study indicated a potential protective effect of α-tocopherol and carotene on ALS, vitamin E and ascorbate on PD, and retinol on FTD, while also identifying retinol as a risk factor for ALS and PD. These findings could contribute to the exploration of dietary therapies for NDDs. Further research is necessary to substantiate the potential associations between diet-derived antioxidants or their metabolites and the risk of NDDs in individuals.
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