484 | id == 484
484 | category_id == 28
484 | category_order == 25
484 | category_name == Joint Inflammation
484 | category_color == #C47AC0
484 | slug == REL-rheumatoid-arthritis
484 | title == A Potent Inflammatory Protein & Its Role in Rheumatoid Arthritis (REL)
484 | meta_description == REL helps make antibodies specific to joints. Variants of REL have been associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Read more here.
484 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong><em>REL</em> codes for part of a protein that may promote the development of joint-specific antibodies. How might variants of <em>REL</em> increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis? Read more to find out.&nbsp;</strong></p>
484 | overall_score_text == Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Score (based on REL gene)
484 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/REL-PUS10-Rheumatoid-arthritis.jpg
484 | author_id == 14
484 | author_name == Shany Lahan
484 | author_title == MS (Neuroscience)
484 | author_order == 5
484 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Shany.webp
484 | author_intro == <p>Shany received her MSc in Neuroscience from Western University.</p>    <p>Prior to joining SelfDecode, Shany conducted research related to Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, and taught science to undergraduate students. She believes that research should be accessible to everyone, regardless of scientific background. Shany joined SelfDecode&nbsp;with a mission to help others optimize their health and wellbeing &ndash; as well as help them understand the science behind it all.</p>
484 | reviewer == None
484 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
484 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
484 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
484 | publish_date == 2020
484 | publish_date == 11
484 | publish_date == 17
484 | avg_rating == 5.0
484 | tags_id == 926
484 | tags_name == Autoantibodies
484 | tags_id == 33
484 | tags_name == Autoimmunity
484 | tags_id == 944
484 | tags_name == c-Rel
484 | tags_id == 369
484 | tags_name == NF-κB
484 | tags_id == 943
484 | tags_name == REL Gene
484 | permissions_favorite == False
484 | permissions_rate == False
484 | content_article == <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">REL </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes c-Rel, a protein that may promote the development of antibodies targeted to joints of the body. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">REL </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">may play a role in rheumatoid arthritis by increasing the production or activity of c-Rel. Lifestyle and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by decreasing c-Rel production or activity.</span></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>REL</em></strong><strong> and Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/rel/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">REL</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene codes for c-Rel, a member of the </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/nuclear-factor-kappa-b/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">NF-kB</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> family. c-Rel combines with another member of its family in order to make a functional NF-kB protein [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/5966"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">NF-kB stimulates the production of inflammatory proteins, as well as promotes the formation of antibodies that recognize the body&rsquo;s own tissues (autoantibodies). In this manner, NF-kB may play a major role in the development of autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882124/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374037/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18613848/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15838509/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">REL </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">have been associated with rheumatoid arthritis. These variants may increase production or activity of c-Rel, leading to NF-kB-mediated production of inflammatory proteins and the formation of autoantibodies [</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/20453842"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605761/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/30423114"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4467986/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>REL</em></strong><strong> Results for Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*1133831238344387*</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Primary SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>REL </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs13031237/"><strong>rs13031237</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/20453842"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605761/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; = Not associated with rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other Important SNP:</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>REL </em></strong><a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs34695944/"><strong>rs34695944</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/30423114"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944098/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4467986/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605761/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul style="text-align: justify;"> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Not associated with rheumatoid arthritis</span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: justify;">*1353526318919295*</p> <h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Recommendations for Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">*1022855001742630*</p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Avoid Cigarettes</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smoking is one of the strongest environmental risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898190/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A number of studies have linked cigarettes to NF-kB activation; more specifically, these studies have demonstrated increased activity of c-Rel after exposure to cigarette smoke [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3412642/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23615073/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">An observational study of 296 people found that 88% of smokers tested positive for </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/rheumatoid-factor/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rheumatoid factor</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> over a period of 10 years. Also, the rheumatoid factor-positive group of people contained more smokers than the rheumatoid factor-negative group [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9833699"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The risk of high rheumatoid factor levels was 4 times higher in current smokers than in people who never smoked, according to an observational study of 7,124 people. In another study of 100 people with rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid factors were more than twice as high in current and former smokers than in people who never smoked [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1004225/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16403829"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smoking the equivalent of 1 pack (20 cigarettes) a day for 25 years was linked to a 3-fold increase in the risk of elevated rheumatoid factor in a study of 336 rheumatoid arthritis patients. What&rsquo;s more, rheumatoid factor levels were directly linked to the number of years smoked in two studies of 673 people with rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9306868"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10743800"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11085797"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Cigarettes may increase the activity of c-Rel. To help manage rheumatoid arthritis and prevent an increase in c-Rel activity, individuals carrying risk variants may choose to avoid cigarette smoke.</span></p> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Curcumin</strong></h4> <p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/curcumin-cures-top-15-scientifically-proven-health-benefits-with-references/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Curcumin</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, an active compound found in the yellow spice turmeric, lowered levels or prevented the activation of c-Rel in a number of cell- and animal-based studies [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22749847/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6111812/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26349982/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9437186/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">At high doses, curcumin reduced symptoms of pain, morning stiffness, joint inflammation, and mobility in patients with rheumatoid arthritis [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7390600/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28850308/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22407780/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, curcumin does not appear to be effective at lower doses. In the available studies, patients only benefited when consuming at least 500 mg per day [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31482684/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Curcumin may help manage rheumatoid arthritis by reducing production or activation of c-Rel.&nbsp;</span></p>
484 | content_snp_table_1133831238344387_key == 1133831238344387
484 | content_snp_table_1133831238344387_blur == True
484 | content_snp_table_1133831238344387_hidden == False
484 | content_learn_more_1353526318919295_key == 1353526318919295
484 | content_learn_more_1353526318919295_blur == True
484 | content_learn_more_1353526318919295_hidden == False
484 | content_learn_more_1353526318919295_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your REL gene makes you somewhat more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of rheumatoid arthritis; it’s just one gene related to it. Avoiding cigarettes and taking curcumin (turmeric) supplements may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
484 | content_recommendation_1022855001742630_key == 1022855001742630
484 | content_recommendation_1022855001742630_blur == True
484 | content_recommendation_1022855001742630_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs34695944,rs13031237
rsStatus = rs34695944,REL,chr2,60897715,T,C,,,25,13,HET
rsStatus = rs13031237,REL,chr2,60908994,G,T,,,13,14,HET
