Effect of different types of milk consumption on gout and the mediating effect of branched-chain amino acids: A Mendelian randomization study.

Numerous studies have shown that dietary factors can reduce the risk of developing gout, and changes in serum AA also affect gout risk. However, current research lacks insights into how dairy products with varying fat content influence serum AA and gout risk, as well as the mediating effects of AA. This study employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to analyze the association between 3 milk consumption phenotypes with different fat contents and gout. We found that only whole milk was associated with a reduced risk of gout, whereas no association was observed with the other 2 milk types. Subsequent mediation analysis revealed that isoleucine played a mediating role, with a mediation effect of -0.198 (95% CI: -0.354 to -0.072), accounting for 66.32% of the total effect, and the mediation effect was significant (P = 0.006).