Arthritis and Pain News:

Study: Eating Red Meat May Increase the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

High levels of red meat consumption may increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, according to British researchers.

A previous study by British researchers found that a diet lacking in fruit, especially varieties high in vitamin C, increase the risk of inflammatory arthritis, a common early sign of rheumatoid arthritis, as much as three-fold.

But this latest study, published in the December 2004 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, indicates that a high level of red meat consumption is an independent risk factor for inflammatory arthritis.

The researchers from the University of Manchester matched new patients with inflammatory arthritis, affecting at least two major joints, to 176 controls.

At the study's onset, each participant completed a detailed 7-day food diary, with advance instruction on measuring food portions to help them be as specific as possible in recording their intake. Each participant also supplied information on his or her past and present status as a smoker.

In terms of dietary factors, patients and controls were similar in most areas, including intake of total calories, fat grams, and vitamin D, as well as coffee, tea, and alcohol consumption.

The most striking difference between the two groups was directly related to red meat consumption. After adjusting for smoking and other possible dietary factors, patients with the highest level of red meat consumption had double the risk of development of rheumatoid arthritis.

"A high level of red meat consumption may represent a novel risk factor for inflammatory arthritis or may act as a marker for a group of persons with an increased risk from other lifestyle causes," the researchers concluded. "It is unclear whether the association is a causative one."

Source: Medical Week Staff, week of December 2, 2004