A recent study revealed a significant association between the intake of ultraprocessed foods and self-reported arthritis among U.S. adults. 

Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2001 and 2018, the researchers analyzed dietary habits and health outcomes of a nationally representative sample of 37,275 participants who were a mean age of 47.3 years. The overall prevalence of arthritis in the sample was 25.8%. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) accounted for 4% and osteoarthritis (OA) accounted for 11.3% of the sample.

Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, findings indicated that ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) contributed to 55.2% of the daily total energy intake in the U.S. population. After adjusting for covariates, the researchers found that each 10-percentage point increase in daily total energy intake "from UPFs was linked to a 4% higher likelihood of having any type of arthritis," (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.06), wrote Yanxin Zhu, MSPH, of the Department of International Health at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with colleagues. Notably, the odds of developing RA increased with higher UPF consumption, with an AOR of 1.06 (95% CI = 1.02-1.09) for each 10-percentage point increase in UPF intake. Quartile analyses showed a clear trend in the odds ratios for RA across increasing UPF intake: 1.21 (95% CI = 0.97-1.50), 1.29 (95% CI = 1.06-1.58), and 1.39 (95% CI = 1.14-1.71, P trend = .002).

Further, the investigators noted, body mass index (BMI) stratification showed that each 10-percentage point increase in daily total energy intake from UPFs was associated with 8% higher probability of being diagnosed with RA among participants with BMI between 25 and 30, and 5% higher probability for participants with BMI greater than 30.

However, no significant association was found between UPF intake and OA. The researchers also reported that arthritis prevalence increased with age, and significant differences were observed across demographic groups.

The researchers emphasized the importance of dietary factors in the pathogenesis of arthritis and suggested that the high caloric density and inflammatory potential of UPFs may contribute to the development of the condition. They wrote, "high consumption of UPFs may lead to positive energy balance and interfere with immune homeostasis, contributing to metabolic and inflammatory diseases."

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that links dietary habits to chronic health conditions, particularly the role of UPFs in exacerbating inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Further prospective studies are warranted to explore the causal relationships between UPF intake and arthritis development.

Disclosures can be found in the published study.