[The causal association between circulating zinc, magnesium, and other minerals with autism spectrum disorder: a Mendelian randomization study].

This large genetic study looked at whether blood levels of minerals like zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, and iron cause autism. Researchers studied over 46,000 people and found that none of these mineral levels in the blood directly cause autism. This suggests that simply taking mineral supplements may not prevent autism, though minerals may still be important for other health reasons in autistic children.

This Mendelian randomization study investigated whether blood levels of minerals (zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron) causally influence autism spectrum disorder risk. Using genetic data from 18,382 ASD cases and 27,969 controls from European populations, researchers found no statistically significant causal relationships between any of the tested minerals and ASD risk. All confidence intervals included the null value (p>0.05). Sensitivity analyses showed some heterogeneity for calcium but results remained stable after correction.

The study provides evidence against causal relationships between these circulating mineral levels and ASD development, offering insights for nutritional intervention strategies.

Results suggest mineral supplementation alone may not prevent ASD development. However, minerals remain important for overall health in autistic individuals. Clinicians should focus on addressing nutritional deficiencies for health benefits rather than ASD prevention. Further research needed on mineral interactions and timing of exposure during development.

Study limited to European populations, potentially limiting generalizability. Mendelian randomization assumptions may not hold for all minerals. Does not examine potential non-linear relationships or interactions between minerals. Cannot assess timing of exposure during critical developmental periods.

To evaluate the causal association between circulating levels of zinc, magnesium, and other minerals and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed using summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies of European populations, including 18 382 ASD cases and 27 969 controls. Genetic data for iron, calcium, and magnesium were obtained from the UK Biobank, and data for zinc and selenium were sourced from an Australian-British cohort. A total of 351 genetic instrumental variables were selected.

Causal inference was performed using inverse-variance weighting as the primary analysis method. Sensitivity analyses were performed by Cochran'stest and MR-PRESSO global test to assess the robustness of the findings. No statistically significant causal effect was observed for circulating zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, or iron levels on ASD risk (all>0.05). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals from the inverse-variance weighting analysis were 0.934 (0.869-1.003) for zinc, 1.315 (0.971-1.850) for magnesium, 1.055 (0.960-1.159) for calcium, 1.015 (0.953-1.080) for selenium, and 0.946 (0.687-1.303) for iron.

Sensitivity analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in the causal association between circulating calcium and ASD (=0.006), while the effect estimate remained stable after MR-PRESSO correction (=0.487). The causal effect estimates for the remaining minerals demonstrated good robustness. This study did not find significant evidence supporting a causal association between circulating zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, or iron levels and ASD risk, providing important clues for the etiology of ASD and precision nutritional interventions.