June 29, 2010 – Rheumatoid Arthritis May Be Associated With Regular Tea Consumption, US Study Finds1.
The study was carried out on a cohort of more than 76,000 women – aged 50 to 79 – who answered questionnaires on their daily tea and coffee consumption as well as their state of health.
According to the results, drinking tea, regardless of the amount ingested, could increase the risk of developing this chronic disease by 40%, which causes painful inflammation of the membranes around the joints.
In women who drink 4 or more cups of tea per day, this risk could be increased by 78% compared to those who do not drink it.
Another very popular hot drink, coffee, was also investigated by researchers. No association has been established between rheumatoid arthritis and coffee consumption, regardless of its method of preparation (filtered or not) and its caffeine content (decaffeinated or not). No association has either been obtained with another autoimmune disease, lupus.
The difference observed between the effect of tea and that of coffee is described as “surprising” by the authors of the studies. Without having any proof, they suggest that the composition of the tea, even its method of preparation, could be in question.
The consumption of tea, particularly green tea, would however be beneficial for cardiovascular health and the prevention of certain cancers, according to recent studies. Its antioxidant effect would also be effective against the symptoms of certain inflammatory diseases.
Researchers use caution in interpreting their results. They therefore recommend that people with rheumatoid arthritis talk to their doctor before changing their tea drinking habits.
More than 1 in 6 Canadians – and almost twice as many women as men – suffer from one of the many forms of arthritis, according to the Arthritis Society.
Louis Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
1. The results of this study were presented at the annual congress of the European Rheumatism League which was recently held in Rome, Italy.
