"Linked to" does mean "correlated with" so there's no problem there. "No evidence of causing" is not the right takeaway. A strong correlation does not mean this

"Linked to" does mean "correlated with" so there's no problem there. "No evidence of causing" is not the right takeaway. A strong correlation does not mean this is the causal link. But it does suggest there is something in that ballpark worth thinking about that is at least a noteworthy cofounder. Causal studies of some things are basically impossible.