Salt and smoking may interact to raise rheumatoid arthritis risk

Eating a diet high in salt may increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis among smokers, according to a large study from Sweden.

Researchers set out to see if a salty diet might be linked to the onset of rheumatoid arthritis or RA, but found a connection only among smokers – who were more than twice as likely as anyone with a low-salt diet to develop the condition.