Metabolic factors, gut microbiota, and cognitive performance: Mendelian randomization analysis

Background The associations between several metabolic factors, gut microbiota (GM), and cognitive performance have not been clearly identified. This study investigates their associations and GM's mediating effects. Objective This study aimed to investigate the causal effects of key metabolic factors on cognitive performance and to determine whether gut microbiota mediate these associations. Methods Genetic variants linked to four metabolic factors [body mass index (BMI), basal metabolic rate (BMR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), two-hour glucose], GM, and cognitive performance were selected from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Univariable Mendelian randomization (MR) and mediation MR analyses were applied. Results We found a protective effect of body metabolic rate (β = 0.061; 95% CI: 0.029, 0.093; p = 0.0002) and risk effect of body mass index (BMI, β = −0.047; 95% CI: −0.074, −0.019; p = 0.0009), systolic blood pressure (β = −0.049; 95% CI: −0.084, −0.014; p = 0.0063), and two-hour glucose (β = −0.043; 95% CI: −0.070, −0.016; p = 0.0017) on cognitive performance. In addition, the 2-step MR analysis further showed that the BMI-effect on cognitive performance was partially mediated by Rikenellaceae family, with a mediated proportion of 14.03% (95% CI: 0.99%, 27.06%; p < 0.05). Conclusions Our findings suggest that several metabolic factors influence cognitive performance, with gut microbiota potentially mediating these effects. These results provide insights into potential targets and useful biomarkers for understanding the pathogenesis and developing interventions for cognitive health.