Types of milk consumed and risk of essential hypertension: A 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Observational associations between milk consump-tion and essential hypertension have been reported. However, their causal inferences have not been proven, and the effects of different types of milk consumption on hypertension risk remain poorly characterized. The Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed using public summary-level statistics from genome-wide association studies to determine whether the different types of milk consumption affect essential hyperten-sion differently. Six different milk consumption types were defined as exposure conditions, whereas essential hypertension identified by the ninth and tenth revi-sions of the International Classification of Diseases was considered the outcome of interest. Genetic variants, which were genome-wide associated with the types of milk consumed, were used as an instrumental variable for MR analysis. In primary MR analysis, the inverse-variance weighted method was adopted followed by sev-eral sensitivity analyses. Our findings suggested that of the 6 common types of milk consumed, semi-skimmed and soya milk products were protective against essen-tial hypertension, whereas skim milk had the opposite effect. Consistent results were also observed in sensitiv-ity analyses that followed. The present study provided genetic evidence that a causal link between milk con-sumption and the risk of essential hypertension and a new reference for the diet antihypertensive treatment plan for patients with hypertension.

Automated summary

Observational associations between milk consumption and essential hypertension have been reported, but causal inferences and effects of different types of milk consumption on hypertension risk are unclear. This study used Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate the effects of different milk consumption types on essential hypertension. The findings showed that semi-skimmed and soya milk products were protective against hypertension, while skim milk had the opposite effect. This study provides genetic evidence for a causal link between milk consumption and hypertension risk.