Dietary intake and risk of rheumatoid arthritis—a cross section multicenter study

Abstract

Environmental factors play an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among these factors, smoking is generally considered to be an established risk factor for RA. Data regarding the impact of diet on risk of RA development is limited. This study assessed the impact of dietary patterns on RA susceptibility in Chinese populations. This was a large scale, case-control study composed of 968 patients with RA and 1037 matched healthy controls. Subjects were recruited from 18 teaching hospitals. Socio-demographic characteristics and dietary intakes 5 years prior to the onset of RA were reported by a self-administered questionnaire. Differences in quantity of consumption between cases and controls were analyzed by Student’s t test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to identify independent dietary risk factor(s) responsible for RA susceptibility. Compared to healthy individuals, RA patients had decreased consumption of mushrooms (P = 0.000), beans (P = 0.006), citrus (P = 0.000), poultry (P = 0.000), fish (P = 0.000), edible viscera (P = 0.018), and dairy products (P = 0.005). Multivariate analyses revealed that several dietary items may have protective effects on RA development, such as mushrooms (aOR = 0.669; 95%CI = 0.518–0.864, P = 0.002), citrus fruits (aOR = 0.990; 95%CI = 0.981–0.999, P = 0.04), and dairy products (aOR = 0.921; 95%CI 0.867–0.977, P = 0.006). Several dietary factors had independent effects on RA susceptibility. Dietary interventions may reduce the risk of RA.

Circulating Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Metabolites and Its Potential Role in Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathogenesis

“…The association of poor dietary quality with RA was also observed in other studies, in which RA patients had an inadequate intake of fruit, vegetables, dairy, fatty acids, and whole grains [11][12][13]. A study in a Chinese population found that RA patients were consuming different amounts of chicken, fish, mushrooms, beans, citrus, dairy products, and organ meats than healthy controls [14]. Another study that included a white population found that both women and men on a nonvegetarian diet were at higher risk of developing RA [15].…”

Genetic and environmental risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis

“…In addition, in a large-scale prospective study of nurses in the United States, a generally healthy diet has been associated with a decreased risk for seropositive RA, although specific dietary factors were not identified (83). Furthermore, a finding that has been relatively consistent across many studies is that a higher intake of fish as well as omega-3 fatty acids have been consistently linked to decreased risk for RA across a number of studies, including studies where dietary data was collected prior to incident RA (84–88). Furthermore, in FDRs of patients with RA who at the time of study did not have classifiable RA, self-reported intake of supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids, as well as biomarkers of fatty acids, found that increased intake and higher blood levels of fatty acids were associated with decreased risk for RF and ACPA positivity (89, 90).…”

“…In addition, healthy lifestyles including lower body mass index and healthier diets that are defined differently across studies but in general are low in sugar and animal fats, and high in fruits, whole grains and vegetables, have been associated with decreased risk for RA (83, 88, 92). In one study of 55 autoantibody positive individuals without IA at baseline, high body mass and ongoing smoking were associated with the highest risk for developing future RA (93), suggesting that these factors may act as additional risks for progression from autoimmunity to classifiable disease.…”

Are we really what we eat? Nutrition and its role in the onset of rheumatoid arthritis

“…women whereby diet data collection was performed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) provided 6 times over a 22-year period [13]. A recently published multi-centered case-control study conducted in China, including 968 RA patients and 1037 healthy controls (HC) assessing dietary intake 5 years before disease onset, showed that RA patients consumed more potatoes and less chicken, fish, mushrooms, beans, dairy products, citrus fruits and organ meats compared to HC, but found no significant differences in red meat consumption between the two groups [14].…”