By use of Mendelian Randomization, Gunn-Helen Øiseth Moen has examined whether vitamin B12 is likely to causally affect the risk of cardiometabolic disease.

MAIN RESULTS:

1. Vitamin B12 does probably not have a causal effect on most cardiovascular risk factors or disease.

THESIS DEFENCE:

Thesis: Genetic and environmental etiology of glucose metabolism and cardiometabolic traits during pregnancy and in later life
Candidate: Gunn-Helen Øiseth Moen
Time: February 27 at 12:15
Place: University of Oslo, Domus Academica: Gamle festsal
Link to university website

SUMMARY:

(1) Vitamin B12 is not likely to causally affect the levels of most cardiovascular risk factors or the risk of coronary heart disease or type 2 diabetes. However, B12 could have a causal effect on fasting glucose and β cell function.

(2/3) The other two articles of the thesis focus on maternal and offspring genetic effects, as well as the genetic determinants of glucose metabolism in pregant women. Moen as developed a freely available online tool called “The Maternal and Fetal Genetic Effects Power Calculator”.

REFERENCES:

(1) Moen, G. H., Qvigstad, E., Birkeland, K. I., Evans, D. M., & Sommer, C. (2018). Are serum concentrations of vitamin B-12 causally related to cardiometabolic risk factors and disease? A Mendelian randomization study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 108(2), 398-404.

(2) Moen, G. H., LeBlanc, M., Sommer, C., Prasad, R. B., Lekva, T., Normann, K. R., Qvigstad, E., Groop, L., Birkeland, K. I., Evans, D. M., & Frøslie, K. F. (2018). Genetic determinants of glucose levels in pregnancy: genetic risk scores analysis and GWAS in the Norwegian STORK cohort. European journal of endocrinology, 179(6), 363-372.

(3) Moen, G. H., Hemani, G., Warrington, N. M., & Evans, D. M. (2019). Calculating Power to Detect Maternal and Offspring Genetic Effects in Genetic Association Studies. Behavior genetics, 1-13.