The impact of different types of physical activity on the risk of knee osteoarthritis: A Mendelian randomization study.

Abstract

We aim to evaluate the causal relationship between different types of physical activity and the risk of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) through a two-sample Mendelian randomization study. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis using publicly available Genome-wide association study associated with physical activity (460 376 individuals) and KOA (403 124 individuals). Two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses were performed to investigate the effects of exposure traits on KOA risk. In this Mendelian randomization analysis, we investigated the impact of different types of physical activity on the risk of KOA. Light do-it-yourself and walking for pleasure demonstrated a protective effect on the risk of KOA (P = 8.19 × 10-4 and P = 4.24 × 10-6, respectively). No statistically significant differences were observed for heavy do-it-yourself, strenuous sports, other exercises or physical inactivity. This study has revealed that engaging in light do-it-yourself activities and walking may serve as potential protective factors against KOA. These findings underscore the significance of introducing such activities into public health strategies designed for the prevention and management of KOA. Additional research is warranted to reveal the underlying mechanisms further.