Causal Effects of Genetically Determined Metabolites on Androgenetic Alopecia: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis

This study used Mendelian randomization to investigate the causal relationships between serum metabolites and androgenetic alopecia (AGA) using data from 7,824 individuals for metabolites and 21,214 individuals for AGA. It identified 17 significant causal relationships, finding that decreased levels of Scyllo-inositol and Alpha-ketoglutarate were protective against AGA, while increased levels of Heme and 2-palmitoylglycerophosphocholine were associated with higher AGA risk. The results were consistent across multiple methods, with no significant heterogeneity or pleiotropy detected, ensuring robustness. The study suggests these metabolites could serve as biomarkers for AGA risk and treatment development, though further trials are needed due to limitations like sample size and population homogeneity.