Association Between Fish Consumption and Minimal Disease Activity in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving...

Diet may influence the clinical course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Consumption of fish, the main source of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), has been linked to decreased disease activity. We investigated the association between fish intake and disease activity in two different cohorts of RA patients receiving molecular-targeted therapies.

This retrospective cross-sectional study included RA patients treated with biologics or Janus kinase inhibitors at Hokkaido University Hospital (Japan) and Virgen de las Nieves Hospital (Spain). Patients completed the validated brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ, used with permission) and a custom-designed detailed fish frequency questionnaire (DFFQ). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained from medical records. Minimal disease activity (MDA) was defined as DAS28-ESR < 2.6 and DAS28-CRP < 2.4. Group comparisons and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

In the Japanese cohort of 205 RA patients, 59% of patients met MDA criteria. Patients with MDA had a higher estimated daily intake of n-3 PUFAs than those with non-MDA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified weekly intake of n-3 PUFA-rich fish as an independent factor associated with MDA. In the Spanish RA cohort of 74 patients, 37% met MDA criteria. No significant differences in n-3 PUFA intake or fish consumption were observed between MDA and non-MDA groups.

Consumption of n-3 PUFA-rich fish was associated with MDA in patients with RA receiving molecular-targeted therapies.