The relationship between fish consumption and rheumatoid arthritis; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease with numerous side effects. Since long ago, the impact of fish consumption on treating this disease has been of researchers’ interest. Hence, this study aims to examine the relationship between fish consumption and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis through a systematic review and a meta-analysis method. Materials and Methods: For this meta-analysis to reach the research related to the case study, the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and the Google Scholar search engine were conducted. The data were analyzed using the STATA 14, and the significance level of the tests was P<0.05. Results: There were 2166980 people (20218 cases and 2146762 controls) in this case study, and the age range of the patients was between 18 and 89 years. The studies were published between 1991 and 2022 and estimated the odds ratio (OR) of fish consumption and rheumatoid arthritis as (OR=0.83; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.89). This measure was (OR=0.79; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.87) in six case-control studies and (OR=0.86; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.94) in 7 cohort studies. In addition, the effect of fish consumption on reducing the rheumatoid arthritis development was more in people who had consumed fish 2 or less than 2 times a week compared to people who consumed fish more than 2 times every week. Conclusion: Fish consumption reduces the rheumatoid arthritis extension; therefore, these patients are advised to include fish in their diet.