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Serum folate levels and the risk of psoriasis: evidence from observational study and Mendelian randomisation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2025

Chang-Jie Du ,
Jian-Wen Ye ,
Yuan-Chen Zhao ,
Dong-Sheng Di  and
Rui-Xue Leng Open the ORCID record for Rui-Xue Leng [Opens in a new window]
Chang-Jie Du
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
Jian-Wen Ye
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
Yuan-Chen Zhao
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
Dong-Sheng Di*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China Teaching Center for Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
Rui-Xue Leng*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
*
Corresponding author: Rui-Xue Leng; Email: lengruixue@ahmu.edu.cn, Dong-Sheng Di; Email: didongsheng@ahmu.edu.cn
Corresponding author: Rui-Xue Leng; Email: lengruixue@ahmu.edu.cn, Dong-Sheng Di; Email: didongsheng@ahmu.edu.cn
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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum folate levels and the risk of psoriasis by integrating observational study with Mendelian Randomisation (MR) analysis. We firstly conducted an observational study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Subsequently, genetic instruments were selected for two-sample MR analyses to investigate the causal relationship between serum folate levels and the risk of psoriasis. The observational study showed no significant association between serum folate levels and psoriasis. In the fully adjusted model, neither serum folate level as a continuous variable (OR = 0·99, 95 % CI: 0·98, 1·00, P = 0·071) nor serum folate quartiles Q4 compared to Q1 (OR = 0·83, 95 % CI: 0·58, 1·19, P = 0·309) showed statistical significance. The MR analysis revealed that higher genetically predicted serum folate levels from Icelandic and Danish populations were significantly associated with a reduced risk of psoriasis (OR = 0·63, 95 % CI: 0·45, 0·88, P = 0·005). Similarly, higher genetically predicted serum folate levels from South Asian populations were significantly associated with a lower risk of psoriasis (OR = 0·84, 95 % CI: 0·72, 0·98, P = 0·025). Integrating observational study with MR analysis suggests that serum folate levels are protective factors against psoriasis, indicating that higher serum folate levels may help prevent the onset of the disease.

Keywords

FolatePsoriasisNHANESMendelian Randomisation
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , First View , pp. 1 - 7
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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Footnotes

Chang-Jie Du, Jian-Wen Ye, Yuan-Chen Zhao contributed equally.

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