Summary
This Mendelian randomisation study examined whether genetically proxied preference for savoury foods is causally associated with breast cancer risk, using genome-wide association data from UK Biobank and outcome data from FinnGen. The analysis included 187 food-liking traits and employed rigorous instrumental variable selection with adjustment for potential confounders including BMI, smoking, physical activity, and alcohol use. By using genetic variants as proxies for long-term dietary preferences rather than self-reported intake, the study aimed to overcome limitations of observational epidemiology including reverse causation and measurement error.
Regional applicability
The study was conducted using UK Biobank data with European ancestry populations and outcome data from FinnGen, making the findings directly relevant to United Kingdom populations. However, the findings may have limited transferability to non-European ancestry groups or populations with different dietary patterns and food availability.
Key measures
Genetic association estimates for food-liking traits (187 traits including savoury foods derived factor); summary statistics for breast cancer outcome from FinnGen r11; F-statistics and p-values for SNP selection
Outcomes reported
The study investigated the causal relationship between genetically proxied preference for savoury foods and breast cancer risk using two-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis of 187 food-liking traits from UK Biobank.
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