Screen time in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) : a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential causal relationship between screen time and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using Mendelian randomization. Methods: Two-sample Mendelian randomization was conducted, utilizing genetic variants associated with different types of screen time as instrumental variables. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to assess the primary outcome, which was the risk of developing T2DM. Results: The analysis revealed a significant positive causal association between television viewing time and the risk of T2DM. Specifically, excessive television viewing time was found to increase the risk of developing T2DM (OR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.90 to 3.00, P < 0.01). However, no significant causal relationship was observed between computer usage time and the risk of T2DM. Additionally, mobile phone use time showed a positive correlation with the risk of T2DM (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.64, P = 0.02), albeit to a lesser extent than television viewing time. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate a significant causal association between certain types of screen time, specifically television viewing and mobile phone use, and an increased risk of T2DM.