Risk for total hip arthroplasty rises with intake of fatty acids
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Key takeaways:
- Intake of arachidonic acid and other fatty acids increased risk for total hip arthroplasty, with no significant link to knee arthroplasty.
- Further studies should examine the link between diet and osteoarthritis, the researchers said.
The risk for total hip arthroplasty increases with higher baseline dietary intake of arachidonic acid, as well as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.
However, intake of these fatty acids did not significantly increase risk for total knee arthroplasty.
“There is considerable evidence that dietary fatty acid intake and composition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 [n-3] PUFAs and omega-6 [n-6] PUFAs) distinctly influence the maintenance of bone and joint health and are implicated in the development and progression of OA,” Tonya Orchard, PhD, RD, of the Ohio State University, and colleagues wrote. “However, there is limited prospective data from human cohorts addressing the association of fatty acid intake or biomarkers with OA progression or severity.”
To probe those gaps, Orchard and colleagues examined data from the Women’s Health Initiative, a cohort of postmenopausal women recruited between 1993 and 1998. Their study included 34,990 women aged 65 years and older with valid baseline food frequency questionnaire data.
Using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, the researchers examined associations between total knee or hip arthroplasty risk and fatty acid dietary intake. In a sub-analysis, risk was also examined in relation to red blood cell polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are “objective biomarkers” of intake of arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA), the researchers wrote.
Over an average follow-up period of 12.3 years, 5.3% (n = 1,851) of the women had total hip arthroplasty, while 9% (n = 3,176) had total knee arthroplasty. According to the researchers, participants demonstrated “modestly higher” risk for total hip arthroplasty if they were in the fourth quartile of arachidonic acid intake (HR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.34) and EPA+DHA intake (HR = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.05-1.39) vs. those in the first quartile.
There was no significant association between total knee arthroplasty and intake of dietary fatty acids or PUFAs, the researchers added.
“These results suggest a potential role of fatty acids in risk of [total hip arthroplasty] and [total knee arthroplasty],” Orchard and colleagues wrote. “Further investigation using randomized control trials and cohorts focused specifically on [osteoarthritis], diet and dietary supplement intake is needed to better elucidate the relationship between fatty acids and severity of [osteoarthritis].”
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