A Mendelian randomization investigation of the causal association between the gut microbiota and sleep disorders

Wei Yan; Zhenzhen Zhuang; Yuhao Gao; Yuntao Wang; Daikun He

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1372827

A Mendelian randomization investigation of the causal association between the gut microbiota and sleep disorders

Front Microbiol. 2024 Mar 22:15:1372827. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1372827. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Wei Yan¹, Zhenzhen Zhuang¹, Yuhao Gao¹, Yuntao Wang¹, Daikun He^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of General Practice, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of General Practice, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
³ Center of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Background: Increasing numbers of people are suffering from sleep disorders. The gut microbiota of these individuals differs significantly. However, no reports are available on the causal associations between specific gut microbiota and sleep disorders.

Methods: Data on gut genera were obtained from the MiBioGen consortium. Twenty-four cohorts with 18,340 individuals of European origin were included. Sleep disorder data, which included 216,454 European individuals, were retrieved from the FinnGen Biobank. Subsequently, two-sample Mendelian randomization was performed to analyze associations between sleep disorders and specific components of the gut microbiota.

Results: Inverse variance weighting (IVW) revealed a negative correlation between Coprobacter and sleep disorders (OR = 0.797, 95% CI = 0.66-0.96, and p = 0.016), a positive correlation between Lachnospiraceae and sleep disorders (OR = 1.429, 95% CI = 1.03-1.98, and p = 0.032), a negative association between Oscillospira and sleep disorders (OR = 0.745, 95% CI = 0.56-0.98, and p = 0.038), and a negative association between Peptococcus and sleep disorders (OR = 0.858, 95% CI = 0.74-0.99, p = 0.039).

Conclusion: A significant causal relationship was found between four specific gut microbiota and sleep disorders. One family, Lachnospiraceae, was observed to increase the risk of sleep disorders, while three genera, namely, Coprobacter, Oscillospira, and Peptococcus, could reduce the risk of sleep disorders. However, further investigations are needed to confirm the specific mechanisms by which the gut microbiota affects sleep.

Keywords: Mendelian randomization; causal association; gut microbiota; gut-brain axis; sleep disorders.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The study was funded by the Youth Research Foundation of Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University (JYQN-LC-202212).