MANCHESTER, England, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- British researchers have added dietary red meat to genetic and lifestyle factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Led by Professors Alan Silman and Deborah Symmons at the University of Manchester, the team drew its subjects from a large research sample -- over 25,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 75 enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer in Norfolk, England.
Their results, published in the December 2004 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism indicate a high level of red meat consumption as an independent risk factor for inflammatory arthritis.
Recently, another team of British researchers found that a diet lacking in fruit, especially varieties high in vitamin C, increases the risk of inflammatory arthritis three-fold.
Cigarette smoking has consistently been found to play a role in rheumatoid arthritic development, but the role of nutritional factors is less certain. Other studies have suggested the protective benefits of eating fish, the dangers of drinking coffee and a reduction in disease risk for women who enjoy alcohol in moderation.
