Diet emphasizing plants, whole grains, legumes, fish may lower rheumatoid arthritis risk

Diet emphasizing plants, whole grains, legumes, fish may lower rheumatoid arthritis risk


August 07, 2025

1 min read

Key takeaways:

  • The EAT-Lancet diet and associated metabolomic signatures may be linked with reduced risk for RA.
  • The diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and fish.

Individuals who adhere to the EAT-Lancet diet demonstrate a lower risk for rheumatoid arthritis, with metabolomic signatures suggesting specific metabolic pathways for prevention, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

“These findings hold crucial implications for public health strategies aimed at preventing RA through dietary modifications and metabolic health interventions,” Jin Feng, PhD, and colleagues wrote.



RH0625Feng_Graphic_01

Data derived from Feng J, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025;doi:10.1002/art.43297.

In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission proposed the EAT-Lancet diet, which was designed to improve human health and environmental sustainability.

“The EAT-Lancet diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and fish, which can reduce chronic disease risk and support environmental health,” Feng and colleagues wrote.

To examine the link between the EAT-Lancet diet and RA risk, as well as underlying metabolic mechanism, Feng and colleagues assessed data from the U.K. Biobank, a prospective cohort study of more than 500,000 participants from England, Scotland and Wales between 2006 and 2010.

Overall, the researchers analyzed 205,439 participants (mean age, 56.07 years) and 1,897 cases of RA with a median follow-up of 13 years. They used models to assess the impact of the EAT-Lancet diet index, metabolomic signatures and gene-environment interactions on incidence of RA.

According to the researchers, hazard ratios for the incidence of RA were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.9-0.96) for the EAT-Lancet diet index and 0.8 (95% CI, 0.7-0.93) for corresponding metabolomic signatures, with a mediation percentage of 34.07% (95% CI, 21.44%-47%).

“Metabolites such as glycoprotein acetyls, acetoacetate, glucose and phenylalanine were positively associated with an increased risk of RA,” Feng and colleagues wrote. “In contrast, metabolites including the degree of unsaturation, omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid and albumin were negatively associated with RA risk.”

After an analysis of gene-environment interactions, Feng and colleagues found that genes B2M, SLC30A4, SHF, SORD, CASC4, SPG11, CRIP2, BTBD6 and TEX22 interacted with the EAT-Lancet diet index.

“These genes may influence the disease through immune cell proliferation and the modulation of inflammatory responses,” Feng and colleagues wrote.

For more information:

Healio Rheumatology can be reached at rheumatology@healio.com.



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