Study links red meat to increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Experts have long warned that the average meat consumption in Spain is excessive , which impacts various aspects of our health. For example, there is scientific consensus that processed meat and red meat increase our risk of certain types of cancer.

Now, a recent study conducted in Sweden has sought to investigate how our dietary habits affect the risk of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and has found that the consumption of red and processed meat also increases the chances of suffering from this disease , while a high consumption of vegetables and plants decreases them.

Reducing meat reduces the risk by 40%

According to the authors' report in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases , these findings are the result of an analysis of data from 28,098 people collected between January 1991 and September 1996. The participants' diets were assessed based on a seven-day menu, a 168-question questionnaire, and a 45- to 60-minute interview. Each individual with rheumatoid arthritis was compared with four healthy controls based on diagnoses recorded in their medical records.

Thus, it was identified that a total of 305 cases of rheumatoid arthritis occurred in this cohort, mostly in women (76.1%) and with an average age of 56.8 years at the beginning of the study and an average interval of 12 years until diagnosis.

Thus, they found that consuming less than 500 grams of red or processed meat significantly reduced the likelihood of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to 40%. The same was true for a daily intake of more than 400 grams of vegetables or fruit, which reduced the risk by up to 36%.

Implications for dietary recommendations

Thus, the study not only supports the relationship between diet and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis , but also points directly to certain food categories as those most clearly implicated.

By its nature, this study cannot be used to deduce a direct causal relationship. However, it does support general recommendations to limit the consumption of red meat in moderation, particularly when we consider previous evidence linking these foods to other serious chronic diseases, such as gastrointestinal cancers.

References

Rebecka Bäcklund, Ulf Bergström, Michele Compagno, Linnea Arvidsson, Emil Rydell, Emily Sonestedt, Carl Turesson. Quantified intakes of key dietary components and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis: Results from a nested case—control study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ard.2025.06.2123

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