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Certain Foods May Cut Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Review shows lower risk with moderate alcohol consumption and eating fruits and cereals, with moderate certainty of evidence

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — 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.”


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