Black Tea Increases The Risk Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Author: Victoria Aly Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Black Tea Increases The Risk Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The authors of the study specify that the results obtained apply only to black tea, but not to green or herbal ...

Frequent consumption of tea can provoke rheumatoid arthritis in women in adulthood, according to a study conducted by American scientists.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the tissues around the joints as well as other organs throughout the body.

Like many other autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis has periods of exacerbation or activation (when symptoms appear in full force or new ones appear) and moments of remission (in which complaints are greatly reduced or some of them disappear completely).

Although long periods of remission may exist, rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive disease that tends to severely damage joints and disability patients over time.

The disease begins with pain in the joints of the knees, wrists and even fingers. The pain turns into numbness, swelling, and then into immobility and stiffness of the joints. With age and the complication of the condition, in some of the patients even the simple daily movements become difficult.

Experts report that there is currently a peak incidence worldwide, with women being affected more often than men.

According to US experts, in 1995, 36 out of every 100,000 women developed rheumatoid arthritis, while in 2005 the number increased to 54.

Although the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and basic antirheumatic drugs slows the progression of the disease and relieves symptoms, the pathology remains incurable. This is the reason why specialists pay more and more attention to prevention.

Researchers at Georgetown University in the United States studied the effects of eating habits and preferences on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in middle-aged women. The study is based on results collected from more than 76 thousand members of the fair sex aged 50 to 79 years.

It turned out that the most vulnerable are those who regularly drink black tea. Daily consumption of even a small amount of the popular drink increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis by 40%. Women drinking more than 4 cups of tea a day were especially at risk. Their risk of autoimmune disease was 78%.

The authors of the study specify that the results obtained by them apply only to black tea, but not to green or herbal.

Another surprising finding was that coffee, despite its preparation and high caffeine content, had no effect on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

According to the authors of the study presented at this year's congress of the European League for Rheumatism in Rome, the results are surprising.

"We have yet to find out whether the factor threatening joint health lies in the composition of black coffee or in the way it is prepared," added study leader Professor Christopher Collins of Georgetown Medical University.

Black Tea Increases The Risk Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

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