Causal association of body mass index with hypertension using a Mendelian randomization design

Observational studies have shown that obesity is a major risk factor for hypertension, but unmeasured confounding factors may exist. We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the causal effect of obesity on hypertension. The MR analysis was performed in a well-defined community cohort study of 8832 middle-aged (40–69 years) adults in Korea enrolled from 2001 to 2013. We used baseline hypertension and newly diagnosed hypertension during the...