Too Much Red Meat May Boost Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk
Eating lots of it could double your chances of getting autoimmune disease,
study says

THURSDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDayNews) -- If you like to eat hamburgers, steak and
other red meat, you might be at increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis, claims
a British study in the December issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

The University of Manchester study included 88 people newly diagnosed with
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in at least two major joints and 176 control subjects
without RA. The study found that people who eat a lot of red meat have twice
the risk for RA and that people who eat lots of red meat and other meat
products had similar high risk levels.

High levels of protein intake from all dietary sources were also associated
with increased risk for RA. However, higher levels of dietary fats, including
saturated fat, didn't appear to affect risk.

"A high level of red meat consumption may represent a novel risk factor for
inflammatory arthritis or may act as a marker for a group of persons with an
increased risk from other lifestyle causes. It is unclear whether the
association is a causative one," the study authors wrote.

They said that high consumption of red meat may only affect people with a
predisposition for RA.

"It may be that the high collagen content of meat leads to collagen
sensitization and consequent production of anti-collagen antibodies, most
likely in a subgroup of susceptible individuals. Meat consumption may be linked
to either additives or even infectious agents, but again, there is no evidence
as to what might be important in relation to RA," the authors wrote.

More information

The Arthritis Foundation has more about rheumatoid arthritis.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: John Wiley & Sons Inc., news release, Dec. 2, 2004

Last Updated: Dec-02-2004
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