Rheumatoid arthritis among women with ≤ 55 years old exhibited a significant association with the inflammatory dietary pattern as per a study published in the journal, clinical rheumatology. A total of 79,988 women in NHS (Nurses' Health Study) from 1984 to 2014 and 93,572 women in the NHSII from 1991 to 2013 were prospectively followed for RA cases, later affirmed by medical records. An FFQ (Food frequency questionnaires) was conducted at baseline and approximately every four years. The empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) comprised 18 pro/anti-inflammatory beverage/food groups weighted via correlations with plasma inflammatory biomarkers like tumour necrosis factor-α receptor 2, interleukin-6 and  C-reactive protein were used to assess inflammatory dietary patterns from FFQ. The Cox regression was used to determine the relationship of RA with EDIP. A total of 1185 RA incident cases were identified over 4,425,434 person-years. EDIP was not related with overall RA risk (p trend = 0.21). In females ≤ 55 years old, the increased EDIP found to be associated with the increased risk of RA.

Similarly, an increased seropositive RA risk was observed among females ≤ 55 years old. The females with > 55 years old showed no relationship between RA and EDIP (p = 0.03). These results highlight a notable association between EDIP and RA risk which could partially be mediated through BMI.