Tea Consumption Is Associated with Decreased Disease Activity of Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Real-World, Large-Scale Study

Abstract

Introduction: The role of tea consumption on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been studied in recent years, but no clear conclusion has been drawn as a result of small sample size of the studies or the fact that only in vitro studies have been performed. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the possible association of tea consumption with RA through a large-scale, real-world study. Methods: A total of 733 RA patients were investigated from June to December, 2016. The disease activity of RA was assessed according to disease activity score 28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The amount and types of tea consumption were recorded by on-site self-administered questionnaires. Logistic regression models were applied to analyze the correlation between tea consumption and disease activity, adjusting for demographics, clinical and laboratory factors. Results: There was an inverse association between tea consumption and disease activity in RA patients (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.46–0.94). Compared with non-tea drinkers, a higher-intake of tea (>750 mL/day) was associated with lower disease activity of RA (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.19–0.79), but not low-intake (≤750 mL/day; OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.42–1.63). A significant dose-response association was found between the amount of tea consumption and disease activity (p for trend <0.01). Further hierarchical regression analysis showed that such inverse associations were mainly present in female patients (p = 0.004), non-smokers (p = 0.01) or elders (≥60 years; p = 0.01). Conclusion: Tea consumption is associated with decreased disease activity of RA, suggesting the potential beneficial effect of tea in the disease.

Caffeine, Coffee, Tea and Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

“…However, a case-control study in Iran showed an inverse association between tea consumption and the risk of RA (18). Similarly, Jin et al, in a cross-sectional study on RA patients, found an inverse association between high tea consumption (>750 mL/day) and disease severity in patients with RA (56). A number of studies have also shown that tea consumption could have a beneficial effect on inflammatory factors which is due to catechins and other flavonoids (57,58).…”

Modulation of methotrexate efficacy by green tea polyphenols in rat adjuvant arthritis

“…Green tea is a very popular beverage consumed daily worldwide and green tea extracts are often used in different dietary supplements. Very recently, a large cohort study, which included 733 RA patients, demonstrated that subjects consuming higher amount of tea (>750 mL/day) were associated with lower RA disease activity, suggesting the potential beneficial effect of tea [25]. However, in a similar study, based on the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study cohort (185 women self-reporting validated cases of RA observed for 3 years), only a small association between daily caffeinated, non-herbal tea consumption and incident RA was observed [26].…”

Dietary Polyphenols and Their Role in Oxidative Stress-Induced Human Diseases: Insights Into Protective Effects, Antioxidant Potentials and Mechanism(s) of Action

“…EGCG, quercetin, resveratrol, p -coumaric acid, luteolin, curcumin, kaempferol and apigenin are the most effective polyphenols against arthritis ( Ahmed et al, 2006 ; Pragasam, 2012 ; Riegsecker et al, 2013 ; Abba et al, 2015 ; Chang et al, 2015 ; Daily et al, 2016 ; Aziz et al, 2018 ). Tea flavan-3-ols like EGCG are useful in RA ( Jin et al, 2020 ). The effects of quercetin on disease severity and inflammation in women with RA showed considerably decreased early morning stiffness and discomfort and after-activity pain ( Javadi et al, 2017 ).…”