London - Drinking copious amounts of coffee each day may increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, Finnish scientists say today.
A study by doctors in Helsinki, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, showed that the more coffee a person drank the greater the chances of getting the disabling disease which afflicts millions of people worldwide. People who drank 11 or more cups a day were 15 times more likely to get the illness than non-coffee-drinkers.
A spokesman for the Coffee Science Information Centre said consumers should not be concerned by the research.