CRP and hepatocellular carcinoma: This study employed a bidirectional two-sample, two-step Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causality and identify the mediator.<h4>Methods</h4>Summary statistics for HCC, CRP, and sarcopenia-related traits, including appendicular lean mass (ALM), hand grip strength (HGS), and walking pace (WP), were acquired from publicly available databases.