Posted on January 4, 2008 in Arthritis Diet
Coffee related to Rheumatoid Arthritis….. Strange to hear….RIGHT!! But according to Finnish research study, coffee can aggravate the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Coffee induces the production of Rheumatoid Factor. As intake of coffee increases the chances of RA also increases.
Have you ever thought that the coffee you drink can cause Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)? NO…. right!! According to a Finnish research study coffee has the potential to develop rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers discovered the link between the presence of rheumatoid factors (RF) and coffee consumption. The study suggests that the risk of RA increases with the number of coffee cups drunk daily.
What is Rheumatoid Factor?
Now you must be thinking What Rheumatoid Factor is? Rheumatoid Factor (RF) is an autoantibody present in the blood of rheumatoid arthritic patients. RF can contribute for the development of Rheumatoid arthritis (RF positive RA). Approximately 1% of the total rheumatoid arthritic population is affected due to RF. RA due to RF can result into permanent disability. In rare cases it can even affect major body organs resulting in life threatening situation.
What Does Research Says?
The research study was conducted by the National Public Health Institute of Helsinki. The research involved 2 large studies: one study monitored approximately 19,000 people for 15 years and the other conducted a cross-sectional survey of 7,000 people. The research findings were published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases Journal. The research study says that people drinking more that 4 cups of coffee daily are at a higher risk of developing RA.
Since years scientists assumed that environmental and genetic factors were the main cause for the development of RA. The research study finding has added one more factor that causes RA. The researchers suspect the presence of unidentified substance in coffee which triggers the production of RF. They also found that the coffee which is not filtered might increases the risk of RA development. Interestingly there was no connection found between RF negative RA and coffee consumption. RF negative RA contributes 20% of the total RA patients.
19,000 people who were monitored for 15 years had no signs of arthritis when initially tested. Researchers found that the risk of RA was doubled in the people who drank more than 5 cups of coffee daily. When the researchers studied other risk factors like gender, age, weight and smoking then also they found the same result. Researchers also found that people who drank more than 11 cups of coffee daily the chances of being RF positive were 15 times higher as compared to non-coffee drinkers.
Conclusion
According to the spokesperson of the research study “Drinking a lot of coffee does not mean you are going to develop rheumatoid arthritis – there are many other factors to take into account.” The spokesperson added that “It cannot be concluded whether the associations between coffee consumption and rheumatoid factor were due to coffee exposure, or to some lifestyle of dietary factors closely linked with it.” RA is a complicated disease and involves a large number of interactions between environmental and genetic factors. So there is no harm in taking 1 cup of coffee in day but it is always better to keep your coffee intake in moderation.
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October 9th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Interesting. My coffee intake has become excessive (10+ cups/day) and at age 40 I find ankles, wrists, back, and hips stiff and often painful.. I will switch to green tea and repost in a month or so. Great study.
October 12th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
undoubtedly: had anorexia still do 42 years…..exercising eliminates toxins/metabolites of coffee (which contains MOLD) somewhat but when i drink coffee, even weak, during a fast, hands get very hot and red and bones in feet. YES the answer is yes.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
i recently developed arthitis in hands and fingers, have also recently started drinking lots of coffee, mostly de-caf. i exercise daily both at home and at gym.
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:34 am
WOW! i have R/A. i was diagnosed when i was 8 years old..and i am 30 years old. i have started drinking coffee daily. i was on methotrexate for about 21 and i have not been taking my medicine for about 5 months. is the coffee helping my R/A? i feel great!! normally i can not last any longer than 3 months without the medicine. what is happening to my body that coffee is helping my R/A??
August 12th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Interesting. I’m 14 and only drink coffee when I’m doing something that requires high energy. I’ve noticed that after the “buzz” wears off, my wrists get weak and shakey. Also, the “buzz” feels exactly like one of the side effects to a medicine I took for ADD. That side effect was not pleasant so I switched. (Do not ask me which medicine. I’m parinoid.) I just realized that. Kind of no point in drinking coffee, huh? I think I’ll attempt to switch to green tea.