Genetic evidence for the correlation between relative nutrient intake and male reproductive health: a Mendelian randomized study

The relationship between the composition of dietary macronutrient intake and male reproductive health (MRH) has been a topic of interest in public health. This study aimed to evaluate the causal effects of dietary macronutrient composition on MRH. Data on the four relative macronutrients intake and seven MRH outcomes were obtained from large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and FinnGen Biobank. Multiple MR (Mendelian Randomization) methods were utilized in our study, including inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median (WM), and MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO). Our results revealed that a higher relative intake of carbohydrates (RC) was associated with a reduced risk of erectile dysfunction [OR = 0.43; CI = 0.18–1.00; <i>p</i> = 0.0049]. Additionally, a higher relative intake of fat was observed to be a risk factor for abnormal spermatozoa [OR = 19.98; CI = 1.16–345.25; <i>p</i> = 0.039]. The relative intake of sugar (RS) was positively correlated with levels of bioavailable testosterone [OR = 1.23; CI = 1.03–1.47; <i>p</i> = 0.022]. These findings contribute to the evidence of a causal relationship between four relative macronutrients intake and MRH. However, further confirmation of these causal effects through clinical trials is warranted.

膳食宏量营养素摄入构成与男性生殖健康（male reproductive health, MRH）之间的关联，长期以来都是公共卫生领域的研究热点。本研究旨在评估膳食宏量营养素摄入构成对男性生殖健康的因果效应。本研究从大型全基因组关联研究（genome-wide association studies, GWAS）以及芬根生物银行（FinnGen Biobank）中获取了四种宏量营养素相对摄入情况与七项男性生殖健康结局的相关数据。本研究采用了多种孟德尔随机化（Mendelian Randomization, MR）分析方法，包括逆方差加权法（inverse variance weighted, IVW）、MR-Egger法、加权中位数法（weighted median, WM）以及孟德尔随机化多效性残差和异常值法（MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier, MR-PRESSO）。研究结果显示，较高的碳水化合物（carbohydrates, RC）相对摄入与勃起功能障碍的发病风险降低显著相关[比值比（odds ratio, OR）= 0.43；置信区间（confidence interval, CI）= 0.18–1.00；p值 = 0.0049]。此外，较高的脂肪相对摄入被证实为精子异常的危险因素[OR = 19.98；CI = 1.16–345.25；p值 = 0.039]。糖类（sugar, RS）相对摄入与生物可利用睾酮水平呈正相关[OR = 1.23；CI = 1.03–1.47；p值 = 0.022]。上述研究结果为四种宏量营养素相对摄入与男性生殖健康之间的因果关联提供了循证依据。不过，仍需通过临床试验进一步验证这些因果效应。