Answer :Earlier research did suggest an association between decaffeinated coffee consumption and increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the less-common form of arthritis (as opposed to osteoarthritis). A 2004 study of some 75,000 participants in the long-running Nurses Health Study, however, concluded that there is no link between either decaffeinated or regular coffee consumption and increased RA risk. According to the lead investigator, Elizabeth W. Karlson, MD, of Harvard Medical School, the data supporting the earlier conclusions were inconsistent and limited by being collected at only one point in time; unlike the 2004 study, consideration was not given to other risk factors for RA, such as cigarette smoking, or changes in lifestyle and diet over time. So the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases does not consider decaffeinated coffee a risk factor for RA. According to the Arthritis Foundation, in fact, drinking four or more cups of regular coffee a day may dramatically reduce the risk of gout-like RA, a painful joint inflammation-for men; decaf is associated with a similar but more modest risk reduction. For more on coffee and health, see the Special Report in the January 2008 Healthletter.
