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Decaffeinated coffee consumption is an
important yet modifiable risk factor in the development of
rheumatoid arthritis. Given the global popularity of coffee,
the findings have potential public health implications.
The researchers followed more than 31,000
women aged 55 to 69 included in the Iowa Women's Health Study
from 1986 through 1997. They tracked the 158 women who developed
rheumatoid arthritis during that time period and compared
them with women who did not develop the disease.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system
attacks the lining of the joints, causing pain, stiffness
and inflammation.
Women
drinking four or more cups a day of decaffeinated coffee were
at more than twice the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
However, women drinking regular coffee
were not at increased risk, while those drinking more than
three cups of tea had a 60% reduced risk of developing the
disease.
They found no association with daily
caffeine intake or caffeinated coffee use and the risk of
developing rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers took into
account other possible contributing factors, such as age,
smoking history, marital status and the use of hormone replacement
therapy. The association persisted even after accounting for
other factors that may be associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
In a similar study, researchers evaluated
risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis among 64,000
black women followed since 1995 as part of the Black Women's
Health Study.
The researchers reported that drinking
more than one cup a day of decaffeinated coffee seemed to
quadruple the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
As far as the researchers knew, these
were the first observations of decaffeinated coffee having
an association with any metabolic disorder. They speculated
that the use of industrial solvents in the decaffeination
process may play a role. There is accumulating evidence that
environmental factors play an important role in the development
of rheumatoid arthritis.
American
College of Rheumatology's annual meeting San Francisco November
13, 2001
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