What is the connection between coffee, tea, and rheumatoid arthritis? Explore the latest research on the potential benefits and risks of caffeine, decaffeinated coffee, and different tea varieties for managing RA symptoms.

The Link Between Coffee and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Studies on the relationship between coffee consumption and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have yielded mixed results. While some research suggests that excessive coffee intake may increase the risk of developing seropositive RA, which is a more severe form of the condition, other studies have found no significant link between coffee and RA development or progression.

One large-scale study found that drinking too much coffee was associated with a higher risk of developing seropositive RA, but not seronegative RA. This indicates that the effect of coffee may depend on the specific type of RA an individual has. Researchers suggest that the decaffeination process, which involves the use of industrial chemicals, may play a role in the increased risk for connective tissue disorders like RA and lupus.

The Benefits of Tea for Rheumatoid Arthritis

In contrast to the mixed findings on coffee, research has shown that tea may be beneficial for people with RA. The antioxidant properties of tea have been found to lower inflammation, which is a key driver of RA symptoms. However, not all types of tea have the same effect – while green tea was found to reduce the risk of RA by 35%, black tea did not show significant benefits.

The anti-inflammatory effects of tea’s antioxidants may help alleviate some of the common side effects associated with RA medications, such as restlessness, irritability, and gastrointestinal issues. One study found that caffeine from coffee and dark chocolate could help ease these side effects in over 50% of participants.

The Role of Caffeine in Managing RA Medications

Caffeine, a common component in coffee, can interact with some of the prescription medications used to manage RA. For example, low-dose steroids like prednisone can cause jittery feelings and affect sleep quality when combined with caffeine. Similarly, the side effects of methotrexate, another common RA medication, may be exacerbated by caffeine intake.

However, the research also suggests that the caffeine in certain pain relievers may help ease some of the pain and inflammation associated with RA. It’s important to discuss your coffee and tea consumption with your healthcare provider, especially if you are taking any RA medications, to ensure the optimal management of your condition.

Balancing Caffeine Intake and RA Management

The FDA considers up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day to be safe for healthy adults, which is equivalent to around four cups of brewed coffee. However, pregnant individuals should limit their caffeine intake to 200 milligrams per day.

It’s important to be mindful of the sources of caffeine in your diet, as many other beverages and foods, such as soda, energy drinks, and chocolate, also contain caffeine. Additionally, be aware that these products often contain high amounts of sugar, which can exacerbate inflammation in RA.

Personalizing the Coffee and Tea Relationship for RA

The relationship between coffee, tea, and RA is complex and can vary from individual to individual. If you have moderate to severe RA, it’s recommended to consult with your healthcare provider to determine the optimal level of caffeine intake and the potential benefits or risks of different caffeinated beverages for your specific condition and medication regimen.

By understanding the nuances of how coffee, tea, and other caffeine sources may impact your RA, you can make informed decisions about your beverage choices and work with your healthcare team to manage your condition effectively.

Key Takeaways

• The link between coffee and RA is mixed, with some studies suggesting a higher risk of seropositive RA with excessive coffee consumption, while others find no significant connection.
• Tea, particularly green tea, has been associated with lower inflammation and a reduced risk of RA, potentially due to its antioxidant properties.
• Caffeine can interact with some RA medications, both positively and negatively, affecting side effects and symptom management.
• It’s important to monitor your overall caffeine intake, including from sources like soda, energy drinks, and chocolate, and discuss your coffee and tea consumption with your healthcare provider.

Conclusion

The relationship between coffee, tea, and rheumatoid arthritis is complex and nuanced. While some research suggests potential risks associated with excessive coffee intake, particularly for seropositive RA, the benefits of tea, especially green tea, are more consistently documented. Ultimately, the optimal caffeine intake and beverage choices for RA management will depend on the individual’s specific condition, medication regimen, and overall health profile. By working closely with healthcare providers, individuals with RA can make informed decisions about their coffee and tea consumption to support the management of their condition.

Coffee and RA: What’s the Link?

Written by Shishira Sreenivas

• The Link Between Coffee and RA
• Coffee and RA Medications
• What’s the Takeaway?

Do you love coffee? Do you easily put away two or three cups a day? You’re not alone. On average, Americans drink just over three cups a day. But if you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is that a habit you need to change? Studies show mixed messages. Some research suggests that coffee might make your RA worse, while others don’t see a connection. Here’s a look at what experts have to say.

Coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that boosts your energy levels and makes you feel awake. While some studies say getting lots of caffeine can be harmless or even helpful for certain conditions, that may not be the case with RA.

One large-scale study to examine the effects of coffee and tea on RA found that drinking too much coffee was associated with a higher risk of developing RA. But the coffee link was found in seropositive RA and not in seronegative RA. What does this mean? Simply put, if you have RA symptoms, your doctor will order blood tests to see which type of RA you might have. This is based on the presence of two types of proteins: rheumatoid factor (RF) or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCPs). If your blood tests positive for either, it’s considered seropositive RA. Those with seropositive RA tend to have a more severe form of RA.

But a recent review of five separate studies done to test the link between RA and coffee found something different. According to researchers, each additional cup of decaffeinated coffee per day increases your risk for RA by 11 percent. They say it might have to do with the decaffeination process.

To remove caffeine from coffee, lots of industrial chemicals are used. Ingesting even small quantities of these chemicals could increase your risk for connective tissue disorders like lupus and RA.

Tea, on the other hand, was found to be beneficial for people with RA. Tea’s antioxidant properties were found to lower inflammation. But not all types of tea have this effect. Black tea didn’t do much for inflammation, but drinking green tea reduced your risk for RA by 35%. More studies are needed to truly prove this link.

Caffeine is a type of drug and it can interact with or worsen the effects of some of the prescription medications you may be taking to manage RA.

Low-dose steroids like prednisone are a common prescription for RA. While prednisone is not a stimulant, it can make you feel jittery and extra alert. Combining this with caffeine may make you hyperactive and affect your sleep quality.

Another medication commonly used for RA is methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall). It has some common side effects, including:

• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Stomach pain

According to research, caffeine found in coffee and dark chocolate may help ease some of these side effects. In one study, experts found that caffeine was able to help with severe side effects in 55% of the participants. Around 13% reported partial relief.

Caffeine is also found in several pain relievers to ease headaches or pain. But it increases inflammation, a common problem in RA. If you’re on prednisone or another type of steroid, or plan to take any over-the-counter pain medications, ask your doctor if you should change your coffee routine.

Most studies haven’t found a significant risk between drinking coffee and developing or worsening RA. That’s good news if you can’t start your day without it. The anti-inflammatory compounds found in caffeine may even help with your RA symptoms. But more research needs to be done on this topic.

The FDA considers around 400 milligrams of caffeine to be safe for healthy adults. That’s around four cups of brewed coffee per day. But if you are pregnant, you should limit it to 200 milligrams per day. Be mindful of how much caffeine you’re getting each day.

Caffeine is found in many things you may eat or drink, such as:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Sodas
• Chocolate
• Energy drinks
• Supplements

Most of these products contain lots of sugar, which can make inflammation worse. If you do plan to drink caffeinated beverages often, try to cut back on how much sugar you add to them. If you have moderate to severe RA, check with your doctor to see what they recommend.

Top Picks

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

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Effects of drinking coffee on joint health

Many people start their morning with a cup of coffee and continue to drink it repeatedly throughout the day. But not everyone is aware that addiction to an invigorating drink can adversely affect health. If a person has diseased joints, and he consumes coffee in large doses, after a while one should expect a deterioration in well-being.

Benefits and harm to the body

Natural freshly brewed coffee contains caffeine, which excites the psyche. Thanks to this quality, a person’s attentiveness increases, brain activity improves and fatigue disappears. Other useful properties of the aromatic drink include the fact that after drinking it:

• increased appetite;
• improves memory;
• the walls of blood vessels are strengthened;
• increases stress resistance;
• neutralizes the action of dangerous radicals;
• stimulates the production of gastric juice (improves digestion), etc.

Frequent consumption of coffee in large quantities can lead to nervous exhaustion, because it has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system. Also drink:

• increases heart rate;
• leaches calcium, vitamin B1, B6 and other trace elements from the body;
• raises blood pressure;
• has a diuretic effect;
• is addictive.

Drinking coffee in the evening can cause problems with sleep. With excessive use, aggression and irritability may appear.

Effect on bones and joints

Studies have shown that the loss of calcium from the body when drinking coffee is negligible. Therefore, the risk that the love of the drink will cause fractures or the development of osteoporosis is minimal.

Bone mineral density may be impaired if a person drinks more than 9 cups of coffee a day along with other calcium-washing substances. To reduce the likelihood of health problems, patients with osteoporosis or other diseases that are accompanied by fragility of the skeleton are advised to completely refuse the drink or drink it in moderation.

Joint pain, fatigue and other symptoms that occur as a result of intense physical activity are provoked by an increase in the synthesis of adenosine. Such a reaction of the body is referred to as protective functions. If you drink coffee, then caffeine will begin to block adenosine receptors. A person begins to feel better, because there is a relief of pain and other signs of fatigue. But it should be borne in mind that coffee only reduces the symptoms, and the body remains still depleted.

Why does coffee cause joint pain?

If you regularly drink coffee, then the joints of the legs in people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or other similar diseases of the musculoskeletal system may begin to hurt more intensely. Unpleasant symptoms are provoked by such factors:

1. CNS irritation. Under the influence of caffeine, nerve endings can become inflamed, which leads to pain.
2. Moisture loss. With arthrosis, the body begins to lose moisture. For this reason, if the patient has a predisposition or has already been diagnosed with joint disease, drinking coffee will contribute to the development of pathology or lead to an exacerbation of a chronic disease, since the drink has diuretic properties.
3. Retention of uric acid in the body. It is believed that excessive consumption of caffeine leads to the deposition of uric acid and can provoke an exacerbation of diseases such as gout.

Coffee is not included in the list of permitted products that can be consumed in dangerous pathological processes. Therefore, the aromatic drink is completely contraindicated in osteochondrosis and other diseases, during the treatment of which a strict diet is required.

Tolerable intake for joint diseases

The daily dosage of a caffeine drink for an adult (without health problems) should not exceed 3 cups. The recommended time of use is morning or first half of the day. For joints affected by arthritis, the daily allowance should not exceed 100-125 mg of caffeine. Sugar should not be added to freshly brewed coffee. You can reduce the intensity of the negative impact of the drink on the joints if you drink it together with milk.

It is recommended to keep a pause of at least 3 hours between servings of the invigorating drink. When the body is tired or stressed, do not drink more than 1 cup per day. Otherwise, exposure to caffeine will lead to pain or other health problems, because in an exhausted state, a person becomes more susceptible to stimulants.

To reduce the negative impact of the drink on the body, it is recommended to give up instant coffee. A sublimated or granulated product contains not only natural ground grains, but also other additives. These can be dyes, flavors and other chemicals.

The method of brewing ground grains does not matter (in relation to the effect on the body). But in cezve (Turk) it is possible to better preserve the aroma and taste.

The product, which does not contain caffeine, is recommended to be consumed in an amount not exceeding 800 ml per day. Despite the absence of a purine alkaloid, this coffee contains other additives that can also have a harmful effect on the body.

What can replace coffee?

Connoisseurs of a grain product will find it difficult to refuse to use it or find an analogue. But, when pain in the knees appears, and the doctor recommends giving up coffee, you can replace it with chicory. It also energizes the body, saturates with vitamins and ascorbic acid. It contains carotene, which is an antioxidant and stimulates the immune system.

Other analogs of an invigorating drink include:

1. Green tea. It has a tonic effect and increases the reaction rate. It contains amino acids, vitamins and microelements.
2. Cocoa. Contains magnesium, which is good for bone tissue. Thanks to serotonin, the cocoa bean product helps prevent depression.
3. Barley coffee. Must be brewed in Turkish. The drink is rich in magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iodine and vitamins. Improves the functioning of the digestive organs and prevents the development of inflammatory processes.
4. Acorn coffee (available at a grocery store or pharmacy). The drink is allowed for hypertensive patients, because it does not increase blood pressure. Does not contain caffeine, has bacterial properties, prevents swelling and spasms.
5. Yam. The dried fruits of the plant are crushed and brewed. The taste of the drink is similar to natural coffee. Sweet potatoes contain potassium and are rich in folic acid. It has an activating effect on the nervous system, therefore it gives strength and vigor.
6. Beetroot latte. Does not contain caffeine, but energizes the body. For its preparation, beet juice is required, to which milk foam and sugar (honey) are added.