Study: No Link Found Between Coffee, Tea and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Women who drink four cups of coffee, either regular or decaffeinated, have no more risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than those who don't drink coffee.

Although sparse, some prior studies have suggested an association between coffee consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston decided to look into this theory using data from a research effort known as the Nurses' Health Study.

The women were asked to complete a questionnaire every four years that gauged their beverage consumption. Of the 83,124 women who completed the questionnaires, 480 developed confirmed cases of rheumatoid arthritis between 1980 and 2000.

The researchers were not able to find a significant link between the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in those who daily consumed at least four cups of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee or at least three cups of tea and those who abstained from any consumption of such beverages.

"In this large, prospective study, we find little evidence of an association between coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or tea consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis among women," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: Arthritis & Rheumatism 2003 Nov;48(11):3055-6