Archive · 7 Oct 2026
More Diverse Diets Linked to Lower Rheumatoid Arthritis Odds
Researchers in India compared the diets of adults with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy adults.
The people with rheumatoid arthritis tended to eat a less varied diet and had lower estimated micronutrient adequacy.
Their diets also scored higher for inflammatory potential.
People with higher dietary diversity scores had lower odds of having rheumatoid arthritis in this study.
The researchers used food questionnaires to assess what participants ate.
Because the study compared people at one point rather than testing a diet over time, it cannot show that diet caused or prevented the disease.
The researchers say more studies are needed to find out whether changing diet can affect rheumatoid arthritis.
An Indian case-control study compared 301 newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis cases with 314 healthy adults aged 18–55.
The median dietary inflammatory index score was 2.18 among cases and 0.37 among controls.
High dietary diversity was reported for 50.2% of cases, compared with 74.2% of controls.
After adjustment for age, sex and body mass index, each one-unit increase in dietary diversity score was associated with 27% lower odds of rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers stressed that the case-control findings show associations, not proof that diet causes or prevents rheumatoid arthritis.
- Who
- Researchers from the National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), Hyderabad, and collaborating institutions studied 301 adults with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis and 314 healthy controls.
- What
- A case-control study found associations between rheumatoid arthritis and dietary inflammatory potential, dietary diversity, and micronutrient adequacy.
- When
- The study's publication date is not stated in the article.
- Where
- The study was conducted in India; the lead institution is in Hyderabad.
- Why
- Researchers examined how overall diet quality was associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Diet may matter
Causation remains unproven
Meaning of the findings
Diet may matter
The study found that greater dietary diversity and micronutrient adequacy were associated with lower odds of rheumatoid arthritis, while greater dietary inflammatory potential was associated with higher odds.
Causation remains unproven
The researchers cautioned that a case-control study cannot establish that diet prevents or modifies rheumatoid arthritis; prospective and intervention studies are needed.
- Participants
- 615 adults aged 18–55: 301 newly diagnosed cases and 314 healthy controls
- Median dietary inflammatory index
- 2.18 among rheumatoid arthritis cases; 0.37 among healthy controls
- High dietary diversity
- 50.2% of cases and 74.2% of controls
- Median micronutrient adequacy
- 18.9% among cases; 32.9% among controls
- Dietary diversity association
- Each one-unit increase in dietary diversity score was associated with 27% lower odds of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Dietary inflammatory index association
- Each one-unit increase was associated with 17% higher odds after adjustment for age, sex and body mass index.
- Publication
- Published in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients
- Study limitation
- The case-control design establishes association, not cause and effect.