Associations between Body Composition Patterns, Brain Diseases and Injuries, and Risk of Epilepsy: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Overview
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Nutrition Transformation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Biostatistics and Systems Biology, School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neurology, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, China
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Abstract
Background: Different body compositions may exert varying effects on epilepsy. We aimed to prospectively examine the associations between body composition and epilepsy risk while exploring the potential mediation of brain-related injuries.
Methods: We constructed a large-scale cohort study within the UK Biobank (UKB), deriving 7 body composition patterns via principal component analysis that captured variation in muscle strength, bone density, lean mass (LM), and fat distribution. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were employed to assess associations between these patterns, individual body measurements, and epilepsy risk. We performed stratified analyses by polygenic risk score (PRS) and mediation analyses to evaluate the indirect contributions of brain injuries.
Results: Among the 475,960 participants, 3,026 epilepsy cases were identified over an average follow-up of 10.9 years. Patterns of “LM,” “muscle strength,” “bone density,” and “leg-dominant fat distribution” were associated with reduced risk of epilepsy (hazard ratios [HRs]: 0.68–0.97), whereas “fat-to-LM,” “central obesity,” and “arm-dominant fat distribution” patterns were associated with increased incidence (HRs: 1.01–1.34). Similar trends were noted for corresponding individual body measurements. These associations were consistent across PRS strata. Falls, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases mediated 17.9%, 27.2%, and 31.0% of effects for “muscle strength,” “bone density,” and “arm-dominant fat distribution,” respectively.
Conclusions: Body composition patterns involving muscle strength, bone density, and fat distribution show robust associations with epilepsy, partly mediated by neurological disorders. Optimizing body composition and preventing neurological insults may help reduce epilepsy risk in middle-aged and older adults.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.
Code
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Data
Datasets cited
- figshare:31367257 — at figshare; found in DataCite
Data Availability Statement
The data used in the study can be accessed through the application and approval from the UK Biobank.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.
Versions
The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.
Version 2, 28 September 2026
- Publisher: — → Karger Publishers
- Authors: added Yue Xu (0009-0008-1565-6586); Yiqiang Zhan (0000-0001-5815-9725); removed Yue Xu; Yiqiang Zhan
Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, pages, dates, 10 authors, 5 keywords, 44 references.
Cite
This paper
Zhao, Q., Liu, Q., Xu, Y., Lv, X., Ji, Q., Chen, R., Tian, D., Wang, Y., Xu, X., & Zhan, Y. (2026). Associations between Body Composition Patterns, Brain Diseases and Injuries, and Risk of Epilepsy: A Prospective Cohort Study. Neuroepidemiology, 1-12. https://
BibTeX
@article{zhao2026associa
author = {Zhao, Qingya and Liu, Qi and Xu, Yue and Lv, Xiaogang and Ji, Qianqian and Chen, Ruoqing and Tian, Dechao and Wang, Yunzhang and Xu, Xiaowei and Zhan, Yiqiang},
title = {{Associations between Body Composition Patterns, Brain Diseases and Injuries, and Risk of Epilepsy: A Prospective Cohort Study}},
journal = {Neuroepidemiology},
year = {2026},
month = apr,
pages = {1--12},
publisher = {Karger Publishers},
issn = {0251-5350},
doi = {10.1159/
url = {https://
pmid = {41931450},
pmcid = {PMC13048721}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Zhao, Qingya
AU - Liu, Qi
AU - Xu, Yue
AU - Lv, Xiaogang
AU - Ji, Qianqian
AU - Chen, Ruoqing
AU - Tian, Dechao
AU - Wang, Yunzhang
AU - Xu, Xiaowei
AU - Zhan, Yiqiang
TI - Associations between Body Composition Patterns, Brain Diseases and Injuries, and Risk of Epilepsy: A Prospective Cohort Study
T2 - Neuroepidemiology
J2 - Neuroepidemiology
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
SP - 1
EP - 12
SN - 0251-5350
PB - Karger Publishers
DO - 10.1159/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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