Exploring the association between grip strength and adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: A Mendelian randomization study

Abstract

Background: Previous observational studies have demonstrated an association between grip strength and detrimental pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. However, the causality of this relationship remains uncertain. Objective: This study aims to investigate if there is a causal relationship between grip strength and adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, providing evidence to support active intervention for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Study design: A two-sample Mendelian randomization method was used to select GWAS data from the UK Biobank and the FinnGen Biobank as data sources. The inverse variance weighting method was used as the main analysis method. The reliability of the results was verified through sensitivity analysis, including Cochran's Q test, MR-egger intercept regression analysis, leave-one-out analysis, and funnel plot. Independent queues are also used to verify the reliability of the results. Results: The study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between genetically predicted hand grip strength and offspring birth weight, specifically left-hand grip strength (β = 0.193, 95 % CI: 0.099–0.286, p = 0.0001) and right-hand grip strength (β = 0.310, 95 % CI: 0.235–0.384, p = 3.27E-16). Sensitivity analysis indicated no horizontal multi-effect, and leave-one-out analysis along with the funnel plot showed no abnormalities. The verification queue also yielded similar results. Conclusion: This study revealed a significant association between grip strength-related traits and offspring birth weight, suggesting a potential protective effect. Moreover, a negative predictive trend was observed for other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Modifying grip strength through an active lifestyle and continuous monitoring of pregnant women's grip strength may have implications for improving pregnancy outcomes. However, further research is warranted to investigate these findings more comprehensively.

Keywords

• Hand grip strength
• Birth weight
• Gestational diabetes mellitus
• Abortion
• GWAS
• Maternal health