Study: No Link Seen Between Coffee and Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women

There is little evidence that consumption of regular or decaffeinated coffee increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in New Orleans.

Recent reports suggest a link between caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, although data has been sparse and inconsistent. Prior studies measured dietary consumption at the start of the investigation and did not include data regarding changes in coffee consumption over the follow-up period.

In this new study, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston looked at whether regular or decaffeinated coffee, total coffee, tea or overall caffeine consumption was associated with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in the Nurses' Health Study, a study of 121,701 women.

Information on beverages was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire completed every four years from the start of the study in 1984 through 1996. Of 81,757 women who completed the questionnaire, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was confirmed in 328 women. Sixty-eight percent of these women tested positive for rheumatoid factor. Data was adjusted for age, smoking, body mass index, alcohol intake, age of first period, and postmenopausal hormone use.

Researchers did not find a significant association between decaffeinated coffee consumption of four or more cups per day compared with no decaffeinated coffee consumption. Similarly, there was no relation between caffeinated coffee consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis for four or more cups per day compared to none or between tea consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis for three or more cups per day compared to none. Total coffee and total caffeine consumption were not associated with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in this group of women.

"We find little evidence of a significant association between coffee or decaffeinated coffee consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis among women in the Nurse's Health Study," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: American College of Rheumatology