The Association Between Dietary Intake of Branched-Chain Amino Acids and Odds and Severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis Publisher Pubmed

Summary: Amino acids up RA odds? Case-control shows high BCAA % ties to 2x risk—no severity link. Study suggests diet tweaks key. Protein puzzle? #RheumatoidArthritis #BranchedChainAAs

Soleimani Damaneh M¹ ; Aryaeian N¹ ; Khajoenia S² ; Azadbakht L^{3, 4} ; Hosseinibaharanchi FS⁵
Source: Scientific Reports Published:2024

Abstract

This case–control study investigated the link between dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and the risk and severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We assessed dietary BCAA intake in 95 RA patients and 190 matched controls using a food frequency questionnaire. We also assessed the disease severity using the disease activity score 28 (DAS-28), ESR, VAS, morning stiffness, and tender and swollen joints. Higher BCAA intake, expressed as a percentage of total protein, was significantly associated with increased risk of RA for total BCAAs (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.53–3.00, P < 0.001), leucine (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.70–3.38, P < 0.001), isoleucine (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.46–2.85, P < 0.001), and valine (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.35–2.59, P < 0.001). These associations remained significant even after adjusting for potential confounders (P < 0.001). However, BCAA intake did not show any significant association with RA severity in either crude or multivariate models (P > 0.05). Our findings suggest that higher dietary BCAA intake may contribute to the development of RA, but further research is needed to confirm these observations and explore the underlying mechanisms. © The Author(s) 2024.