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Regularly drinking alcohol 'could cut arthritis risk'

05/06/2008

A glass of wine each day could reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by half, new research suggests.

Swedish scientists say they found that drinking alcohol was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing RA and that the more alcohol was consumed, the lower the risk of the disease.

Among those who drank regularly, the quarter with the highest consumption were up to 50 per cent less likely to develop the disease compared with the half who drank the least.

The researchers base their findings on more than 2,750 people taking part in two separate studies that assessed environmental and genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis.

Over half the participants had the disease.

All participants were quizzed about their lifestyle, including how much they smoked and drank, and blood samples were taken to check for genetic risk factors.

Alcohol consumption was assessed in three categories: none; less than five drinks a week; and more than five drinks a week.

The protective effect of alcohol against RA was found to be the same for both men and women.

Among those with antibodies to a specific group of proteins involved in the development of the disease, alcohol cut the risk most in smokers with genetic risk factors for RA.

Smoking is known to be a major environmental risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis, and this risk is further increased in those who carry these genetic variants.

"From a public health perspective, we consider the findings of interest as they provide new information on how a modifiable lifestyle factor may influence the risk of developing RA," the researchers write in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

"The main message remains that cessation of smoking is the most effective way to diminish the risk of RA, irrespective of genetic constitution, but that this recommendation should not necessarily be combined with a recommendation to stop moderate alcohol consumption.

"Equally interesting are the potential biological implications. The fact that data from both animal and human studies suggest that arthritis risk can be reduced by alcohol - or other agents with similar effects - should encourage further studies on how such prevention can be achieved."