Read meat consumption increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis: Study

A new study published in the journal of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases showed that a high consumption of red and processed meat increased the chance of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when compared to fruits and vegetables.

As part of the complex etiology of rheumatoid arthritis, the association between food and risk has been studied. There have been reports of both disease-risk-promoting and protective eating patterns. The underlying processes are not entirely understood, and the effects vary. Thus, Rebecka Bäcklund and team conducted this study to examine the association between the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and the elements of the 2015 Swedish food-based dietary recommendations (SDG).

The prospective Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS), which ran from 1991 to 1996, provided the data. A validated diet history technique was used to evaluate diet at baseline. Up to 2016, incident RA patients were found by linking registers, and then medical records were reviewed for validity. 4 RA-free controls, matched for age, sex, and year of MDCS inclusion, were chosen from the cohort for every case.

The SDG Score (SDGS), which consists of five components, was used to evaluate adherence to the SDG. The associations between the SDGS, its components, and RA were examined using restricted cubic splines (RCS) and multivariable logistic regression.

There were 305 incident RA patients in all, with 67% of them being rheumatoid factor/anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide positive. Reduced risks of RA were linked to recommended intakes of red and processed meat (<500 g/week) and fruits and vegetables (>400 g/day), with multivariable-adjusted odds ratios of 0.60 (95% CI 0.38–0.97) and 0.64 (95% CI 0.43–0.94), respectively.

RCS showed that the overall consumption of red and processed meat was positively linearly associated with the development of RA, while fruits and vegetables were negatively associated. For seropositive RA, but not seronegative RA, the risk increased with the quartile of red and processed meat consumption.

Overall, the results of this study point to a dose-response association between the risk of seropositive RA and consumption of red or processed meat. Although the precise processes behind these results require more research, this study contributes to the current understanding of the role of dietary components in the development of RA, particularly with regard to red and processed meats.

Source:

Bäcklund, R., Bergström, U., Compagno, M., Arvidsson, L., Rydell, E., Sonestedt, E., & Turesson, C. (2025). Quantified intakes of key diet components and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis: Results from a nested case-control study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ard.2025.06.2123