Could Eating Fish Decrease RA Disease Activity?

Consuming higher amounts of fish may be associated with decreased risk of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, according to the results of a recent study.

In their cross-sectional analysis, researchers followed 176 patients, median DAS28-CRP of 3.5, who filled out a baseline food frequency questionnaire assessing usual diet. The participants were categorized by fish consumption levels: never to <1/month, 1/month to <1/week, 1/week, and ≥2/week.

Overall, in an adjusted linear regression model, individuals who consumed fish 2 or more times a week had significantly lower DAS28-CRP scores compared with those who ate fish less than once per month, and for every additional serving per week, DAS28-CRP scores were reduced by 0.18.

“Our findings suggest that higher intake of fish may be associated with lower disease activity in RA patients,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Tedeschi SK, Bathon JM, Giles JT, et al. The relationship between fish consumption and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis [published online June 21, 2017]. Arth Care Res. doi: 10.1002/acr.23295.