The role of diet in susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review.

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J Rheumatol. 2004 Jul;31(7):1310-9.

The role of diet in susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic

review.

Pattison DJ, on RA, Symmons DP.

ARC Epidemiology Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, United

Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have examined the role of diet in the management

of established rheumatoid arthritis (RA), warranting several recent reviews.

However, none have considered the possible link between diet and the onset

of RA in detail. Studies investigated a possible effect of individual

components of diet and the development of RA, but the lack of a systematic

review means there is no unbiased assessment of the evidence. METHODS: We

systematically reviewed studies with comparison groups that examined dietary

intake or biological markers prior to the onset of RA. Four electronic

databases were searched to identify relevant reports. Six quality criteria

were agreed, against which the studies were assessed. The main outcome

measure was a diagnosis of RA according to the ARA 1958 or revised ACR 1987

classification criteria. RESULTS: Fourteen reports were included in the

review. There was evidence of a protective effect of higher consumption of

olive oil, oil-rich fish, fruit, vegetables and beta-cryptoxanthin. Lower

serum concentrations of antioxidants were associated with an increased risk

of RA in 3 studies. Due to the heterogeneity of study designs and analyses,

the results could not be pooled. CONCLUSION: Evidence exists that diet may

play a role in the etiology of RA, but it is inconclusive due to the small

number of studies available and variation in study design.

PMID: 15229949 [PubMed - in process]