The Role of Dietary Vitamin E in Preventing Degenerative Musculoskeletal Diseases: Insights from Mendelian Randomization

Background Degenerative musculoskeletal diseases, including osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, intervertebral disc degeneration, and sarcopenia, significantly impair patient mobility and quality of life, particularly in the elderly. Despite extensive research, the pathogenesis of these diseases remains incompletely understood, and effective treatments are lacking. Recent evidence suggests that oxidative stress and inflammation play crucial roles in the development of these conditions. Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, has been proposed as a potential protective factor. Objective To investigate the causal relationship between dietary vitamin E intake and the risk of degenerative musculoskeletal diseases using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Methods I utilized data from the UK Biobank's IEU OpenGWAS, the Finnish FinnGen Biobank, and the PhenoScanner database. Genetic variants associated with vitamin E intake were used as instrumental variables. Outcome data for OA, OP, SP, and IVDD were obtained from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was the primary analysis, supported by MR-Egger, weighted median, and other sensitivity analyses to ensure robustness. Results The IVW method revealed no significant causal association between vitamin E intake and the risk of OA, OP, SP, or IVDD. Sensitivity analyses, including Cochran’s Q test and the MR-Egger intercept test, indicated no evidence of heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy. Leave-one-out analyses confirmed that no single SNP significantly influenced the overall causal effect estimates. Conclusion This MR study found no evidence to support a causal relationship between dietary vitamin E intake and the risk of degenerative musculoskeletal diseases. These findings suggest that vitamin E supplementation may not be effective in preventing or managing these conditions. Future research should explore other potential factors and consider different populations to further understand the role of vitamin E in musculoskeletal health.