Effects of genetically determined mineral status on life expectancy: a Mendelian randomization study

In this study, we investigated the causal effects of six minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, and selenium) on life expectancy with large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. [3] The genetic variations related to blood copper, zinc, and selenium concentrations were derived from Australian (the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, QIMR) and UK (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, ALSPAC) data. [...]findings of this MR study showed that genetically higher serum calcium, serum iron, and blood zinc concentrations may be associated with a reduced life expectancy.