Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Related to Coffee Consumption in Korea? A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Abstract

Coffee consumption is gradually increasing in Korea. As a result, interest in the relationship between coffee consumption and various diseases is growing. Several factors affect the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and coffee consumption may be related. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2012–2016). A total of 12,465 eligible participants (4819 men and 7646 women) were included in the study. Participants with RA were defined as those who were diagnosed and currently being treated by physicians. Daily coffee consumption amounts were categorized as none, <1 cup, 1–2 cups, 2–3 cups, and ≥3 cups a day based on a self-report. A multivariable logistic regression model was employed, and we calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the odds of participants having RA with respect to coffee consumption. Compared to the no-coffee group, the ORs for RA in the <1 cup and 1–2 cups groups were 2.99 (95% CI 0.33–27.28) and 2.63 (95% CI 0.31–22.63) in men, respectively, and the ORs for RA for women in the <1 cup, 1–2 cups, 2–3 cups, and ≥3 cups groups were 0.62 (95% CI 0.31–1.26), 0.67 (95% CI 0.33–1.37), 1.08 (95% CI 0.35–3.36), and 1.43 (95% CI 0.25–8.36), respectively. Our study concludes, therefore, that daily coffee consumption is not related to the prevalence of RA in the general Korean population.

Self-reported and genetically predicted effects of coffee intake on rheumatoid arthritis: Epidemiological studies and Mendelian randomization analysis

“…In addition, a large cross-sectional study in South Korea reported that coffee consumption was not related to the prevalence of RA among Koreans ( 20 ). This result was consistent with our NHANES cross-sectional study.…”

“…According to the question, “How many cups of coffee, caffeinated or decaffeinated, did you drink?”, we divided coffee intake into four groups: no consumption, <1, 1–3, and ≥4 cups/day. According to the previous study, we used the following variables as covariates: sex, age, race, education level, Body mass index (BMI), smoking status, poverty-income ratio, alcohol, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes condition ( 19 , 20 ). In addition, through screening, total calcium, phosphorus, kidney disease, and CRP may also be associated with RA risk ( 21 – 23 ), so they were also included in the covariates.…”