Two-sample Mendelian randomization study on the association between ω-3/6  polyunsaturated fatty acids and childhood obesity

XU Yue; GAO Tongxun; HU Siyuan; LI Meifang; LUAN Yibo; XU Chenxia

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-0890

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2025, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (8) : 841-847. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-0890

Two-sample Mendelian randomization study on the association between ω-3/6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and childhood obesity

XU Yue, GAO Tongxun, HU Siyuan, LI Meifang, LUAN Yibo, XU Chenxia

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Abstract

Objective To investigate the causal relationship between ω-3/6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and childhood obesity using Mendelian randomization (MR), in order to provide new insights for the health management of childhood obesity. Methods Data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were utilized, with seven phenotypes, including ω-3/6 PUFAs, as exposure factors and childhood obesity as the outcome factor. Two-sample MR analysis was conducted using five methods: inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, simple mode, weighted median, and weighted mode. The primary conclusions were based on the IVW method, while other methods served as references for robustness. Sensitivity analyses, including heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, MR-PRESSO, leave-one-out, and Steiger tests, were also performed. Results ω-3PUFAs (OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.71 - 0.96, P=0.012), the ratio of ω-3 PUFAs to total fatty acids (OR=0.83, 95%CI: 0.73 - 0.95, P=0.007), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (OR=0.81, 95%CI: 0.69 - 0.95, P=0.011)were negatively associated with childhood obesity. In contrast, the ω-6/ω-3 PUFA ratio showed a positive association with childhood obesity (OR=1.18, 95%CI: 1.04 - 1.34, P=0.013). No significant causal relationships were observed between ω-6 PUFAs, the ratio of ω-6 PUFAs to total fatty acids, linoleic acid, and childhood obesity (P>0.05). In sensitivity analysis, all six datasets, except for linoleic acid, passed all tests, demonstrating the robustness of the results. Conclusions ω-3 PUFAs, the ratio of ω-3 PUFAs to total fatty acids, and DHA are protective factors against childhood obesity, while the ω-6/ω-3 PUFA ratio is a risk factor. Increasing ω-3 PUFA intake or balancing the intake of ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs in the diet may help reduce the risk of childhood obesity.

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childhood obesity / ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids / ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids / ocosahexaenoic acid / Mendelian randomization

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XU Yue, GAO Tongxun, HU Siyuan, LI Meifang, LUAN Yibo, XU Chenxia. Two-sample Mendelian randomization study on the association between ω-3/6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and childhood obesity[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2025, 33(8): 841-847 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-0890

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