Study reveals link between tea and rheumatoid arthritis

A new study has shown that even mild levels of tea drinking can greatly increase the chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis while coffee appears to have no effect at all.

Conducted by the Georgetown University Medical Centre in the US, the study involved more than 76,000 American women, with the findings presented this week at the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome.

The study found that those who drank more than four cups of tea a day were 78 percent more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than women who drank none. Surprisingly, those who drank any amount of tea a day were a whole 40 percent more likely to experience the condition.

Study leader Professor Christopher Collins said that the initial aim of the study was the determine whether there was a link between tea or coffee drinking, and the method of preparing beverages, and increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

"It is surprising that we saw such differences in results between tea and coffee drinkers,” he said, adding that there definitely appeared to be something about tea or its preparation that increased the risks.

Women involved in the study were also asked whether they drank filtered or unfiltered coffee, although this appeared to have no impact.