Obesity and Abdominal hernia risk: Mendelian randomization study

Abstract With the change in people's dietary habits and lifestyles, the incidence of obesity is increasing. Obesity has been recognized as a risk factor for a number of diseases, including abdominal wall hernias. The aim of our study was to investigate the causal relationship between obesity and abdominal wall hernia development through a two-sample Mendelian randomization study and to quantify the risk of abdominal wall hernia (AH) development with respect to obesity-related assessment indicators body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and body fat percentage (BFP). Our results found a 56% increase in the risk of AH for each SD increase in genetically determined BMI, a 55% increase in the risk of AH for each SD increase in genetically determined WC, and a 60% increase in the risk of AH for each SD increase in genetically determined BFP. It is still reasonable to recommend obese individuals to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight for the purpose of preventing the development of abdominal wall hernias.