Causal association between Bifidobacterium and major depressive disorder： a Mendelian randomization study
10.11886/scjsws20250616002
- VernacularTitle:双歧杆菌属与抑郁症的因果关联：一项孟德尔随机化研究
- Author:
Xiaoying XIE
1
;
Bin SHENG
1
;
Fuqiang YUAN
1
Author Information
1. Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine， Nanchang 330004， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Bifidobacterium;
Major depressive disorder;
Causal effect;
Mendelian randomization
- From:
Sichuan Mental Health
2025;38(6):498-504
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
BackgroundMajor depressive disorder （MDD）， a prevalent mental disorder， is characterized by persistent depressed mood， impaired concentration， loss of interest in daily activities， decreased appetite， and sleep disturbances. Randomized controlled trials （RCTs） indicate potential benefits of Bifidobacterium supplementation for MDD， but the evidence base remains insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. ObjectiveTo explore the causal association between Bifidobacterium and MDD through a Mendelian randomization （MR） approach， with the hope of providing genetic evidence to elucidate the etiological mechanisms and risk factors underlying MDD. MethodsSummary-level data from genome-wide association studies （GWAS） was conducted， specifying Bifidobacterium as the exposure variable and MDD as the outcome variable， to rigorously investigate the causal association between Bifidobacterium and MDD. Multiple complementary analytical approaches were employed， including inverse-variance weighted， weighted median estimator， MR-Egger regression， weighted mode and simple mode， to derive robust causal estimates. Furthermore， to ensure the robustness and validity of the findings， a series of comprehensive sensitivity analysis were systematically performed， encompassing MR-Egger regression test， MR-PRESSO test and leave-one-out analysis. ResultsInverse-variance weighted revealed a causal link from Bifidobacterium to MDD （OR=1.018， 95% CI： 1.001–1.035， P=0.035）， whereas no evidence of reverse causality was observed （OR=0.603， 95% CI： 0.116–3.130， P=0.547）. ConclusionBifidobacterium is a risk factor for MDD， and its presence may increase the risk of MDD onset.
