Figure Legends
Figure 1. Study design.
The solid line indicates a causal relationship. Direct causal relationships between variables that go against the MR assumptions are shown by dashed lines. Assumption 1: The genetic instruments used as instrumental variables (IVs) are associated with exposure. Assumption 2: The IVs are not associated with any confounders. Assumption 3: IVs are not directly related to the outcome, and they influence the outcome only through exposure, not through any alternative pathways. Abbreviation: MR, mendelian randomization; IVW, inverse variance-weighted.