Association between Gut Microbiota and Stroke in US Adults: Evidence from the NHANES and Mendelian Randomization Analysis

This dataset contains the harmonized instrumental variables (IVs) and effect estimates used in the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses presented in the manuscript entitled "Association between Gut Microbiota and Stroke in US Adults: Evidence from the NHANES and Mendelian Randomization Analysis".The study investigates the causal pathways along the gut-brain axis, integrating observational evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with genetic evidence from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The primary goal was to elucidate the causal effects of gut microbiota on stroke risk and to explore the potential mediating roles of the metabolite 3-hydroxybutyrate and systemic inflammation (as indicated by white blood cell count).The data files comprise the extracted SNP-outcome associations harmonized with the SNP-exposure associations for the following key analyses:Exposure: Gut microbiota taxa (from the MiBioGen consortium) → Outcome: Stroke (from the GWAS Catalog).Exposure: Gut microbiota taxa → Outcome: 3-hydroxybutyrate levels (from the GWAS Catalog).Exposure: 3-hydroxybutyrate levels → Outcome: White blood cell (WBC) count (from the GWAS Catalog).Exposure: White blood cell (WBC) count → Outcome: Stroke.Specific causal relationships identified include a protective effect of Ruminococcaceae and a risk effect of Lachnospiraceae on stroke, with the latter's effect potentially mediated by increasing 3-hydroxybutyrate and subsequent WBC count.This dataset is essential for reproducing the Mendelian randomization results reported in the study. By providing the harmonized effect sizes, it ensures the transparency and reproducibility of the causal inferences made.