Genetic Evidence for a Causal Link between Intra-Pancreatic Fat Deposition and Pancreatitis: a Mendelian Randomization Study.

Introduction:Recent associative studies have linked intra-pancreatic fat deposition (IPFD) with risk of pancreatitis, but the causal relationship remains unclear. Methods:Utilizing Mendelian randomization, we evaluated the causal association between genetically predicted IPFD and pancreatitis. This approach utilized genetic variants from genome-wide association studies of IPFD (n=25,617), acute pancreatitis (n=6,787 cases/361,641 controls), and chronic pancreatitis (n=3,875 cases/361,641 controls). Results:Genetically predicted IPFD was significantly associated with acute pancreatitis (OR per 1-SD increase: 1.40[95%CI:1.12-1.76], p=0.0032) and chronic pancreatitis (OR:1.64[95%CI:1.13-2.39], p=0.0097). Discussion:Our findings support a causal role of IPFD in pancreatitis, suggesting that reducing IPFD could lower the risk of pancreatitis.