Causal relationship between epigenetic markers and type 2 diabetes in West African populations: a Mendelian randomisation analysis
Authors' conclusion
Our study identified two epigenetic markers as likely to be causal for type 2 diabetes in West African populations.
Study context
- Population
- Ghanaian (RODAM study) and Nigerian (AADM study) individuals not on glucose-lowering medication
- Outcome
- CpGs causally associated with T2D among West Africans
Methodological detailstwo-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR), epigenome-wide association studies, longitudinal follow-up analyses
- Two-sample MR
- Epigenome-wide association studies
- Longitudinal follow-up analyses
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
CpGs causally associated with T2D (MR)
- CpGs associated with T2D
- 28
- CpGs associated with HbA1c
- 26
- CpGs associated with HOMA-S
- 3
- Total CpGs
- 57
- CpGs with meQTLs in blood (AADM study data)
- 49
- CpGs with meQTLs in primary hepatocytes from African American individuals
- 4
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Longitudinal: baseline methylation of causal CpGs and HbA1c at follow-up
- Association between baseline methylation of these CpGs and HbA1c at follow-up
RNA-seq: cis correlation of cg00036588 in skeletal muscle
- FAM83C, FDR
- 3.3 × 10-4
- EIF6, FDR
- 0.13
Original publication
Causal relationship between epigenetic markers and type 2 diabetes in West African populations: a Mendelian randomisation analysis. Diabetologia. Published 24 April 2026. doi:10.
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