Uncovering a causal connection between the Lachnoclostridium genus in fecal microbiota and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Summary

Background: Previous observational studies have indicated that an imbalance in gut microbiota may contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, given the inevitable bias and unmeasured confounders in observational studies, the causal relationship between gut microbiota and NAFLD cannot be deduced. Therefore, we employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) study to assess the causality between gut microbiota and NAFLD. Methods: test, and leave-one-out analysis were conducted to identify heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Moreover, a fixed-effect meta-analysis was conducted to verify the robustness of the results. Results: = 0.0001, IVW). No heterogeneity or pleiotropy was observed. Conclusion: genus through the oral administration of probiotics or fecal microbiota tra