Drinking multiple cups of coffee every day does not appear to increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), new research suggests.

These findings appear on the heels of numerous other reports suggesting that the opposite was, in fact, the case.

After reviewing information collected from more than 80,000 women over an almost 20-year period, U.S. researchers found that the risk of RA appeared unrelated to the amount of decaffeinated coffee, coffee, tea and total caffeine women consumed.

However, a previous Finnish study found that people who drank at least four daily cups of coffee were more than twice as likely to develop RA, while another report showed that drinking multiple cups of tea each day could reduce that risk.

The author of the current report, Dr. Elizabeth W. Karlson, said that her study followed more people for more time than previous reports, and there is "very little biologic reason" why coffee or tea might influence the risk of RA. "These findings should help settle the debate," she said.

RA is a chronic inflammatory condition in which the body's own immune system attacks the tissue lining the joints.
 
Editor: Catherine