Skip to main content

Certain Foods May Cut Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 18, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2024 -- Moderate alcohol consumption and eating oily fish, fruits, and cereals may reduce the risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a review published online Nov. 26 in Nutrients.

Yuanyuan Dong, from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to assess dietary factors and RA risk.

Based on 30 included studies (2.99 million participants; 9,677 RA cases), the researchers found that each two-unit increase per week in total alcohol intake was linked to a 4 percent risk reduction (moderate certainty), while beer consumption was associated with a 10 percent reduction per two-unit increase per week (very low certainty). A 3 percent decrease in seropositive RA risk was seen with each two-unit increase per week in total alcohol intake (moderate certainty). Reduced risk was also seen with increased intakes of fruit (per 80 g/day: 5 percent reduction; moderate certainty) and cereals (per 30 g/day: 3 percent reduction; moderate certainty). However, tea consumption was associated with a 4 percent increased risk for RA per additional cup/day (moderate certainty). There were nonlinear associations seen for total coffee, vegetables, oily fish, and vitamin D supplementation.

"Optimizing dietary intake of certain food components may reduce RA risk, despite moderate-quality evidence," the authors write. "Further research is needed to confirm these associations and explore whether specific dietary patterns or nutrients could emerge as a viable strategy for RA prevention."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Rheumatoid Arthritis Increases Risk for New Heart Failure

FRIDAY, Dec. 20, 2024 -- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a higher rate of heart failure subtypes, according to a study published online Dec. 9 in Arthritis Care &...

Light-to-Moderate Wine Consumption Tied to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk

THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2024 -- Light-to-moderate consumption of wine, measured through an objective urinary biomarker, is associated with lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in an...

Postmenopausal Women Have Higher Risk for Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2024 -- Postmenopausal women, particularly those who experience early menopause, may have a higher risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.