The Association of Micro- and Macro-Nutrient Patterns With the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Newly Diagnosed Cases:...

This study aims to explore the nutrient patterns of macronutrients and micronutrients in healthy people and individuals newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their associations with the risk of RA.

This case-control study involved 50 RA patients and 100 matched healthy controls. Dietary intakes were obtained using valid food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). Factor analysis was performed to identify nutritional patterns. Multivariable analysis was performed to assess the relationship between each detected nutrient pattern and the risk of RA.

Weight, BMI, waist circumference, physical inactivity, and prevalence of individuals with a familial history of RA were significantly higher in RA patients than in individuals without RA (p < 0.05). Four nutrient patterns were identified, accounting for 71.65% of the total variance. The first (high intake of vitamin D, protein, selenium, and cholesterol), third (high intake of vitamin C, calcium, and dietary fiber), and fourth (high intake of iron and vitamin E) identified patterns were inversely associated with the risk of RA, in contrast to the second pattern (high intake of total fat, trans fatty acids, saturated fatty acids (SFA), higher dietary serving score (DSS) and a higher dietary inflammatory index (DII)), which was directly related to the RA risk (p < 0.05).

This study revealed that dietary patterns that are high in DSS and DII scores, total fat, SFA, and trans fatty acids may be related to the risk of RA. Also, it was shown that dietary contents of protein, cholesterol, fiber, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and calcium could be associated with the RA pathogenesis. To reach a definitive finding regarding the association of each nutrient with the risk of RA, conducting more high-quality cohort studies with a large sample size is needed.