Healthy living
Body matters
Alcohol may reduce risk of RA
Enjoying a regular tipple reduces the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by up to 50 percent, say researchers writing in the journal, Annals of Rheumatic Diseases
Scientists from Sweden and Denmark carried out two studies involving over 2,750 people half of whom were RA sufferers. The participants were asked questions about their lifestyle, including the amount of alcohol they drank and whether they smoked. Blood samples were taken to assess any genetic risk factors.
The teams found that those people who drank the most - more than five alcoholic drinks every week - were as much as 50 per cent less likely to develop RA as those people who drank the least. The effect was the same for men and women.
One possible explanation is that the alcohol protects against RA by reducing the body’s inflammatory response.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes severe pain and swelling of the joints especially in the hands, feet and wrists. It is extremely common – more than 400,000 people suffer from the condition in the UK. It usually affects people between the age of 40 and 60 years old and is three times more common in women than men.
RA is what is known as an auto-immune disease – where the immune system malfunctions and starts to attack healthy tissue – in this case causing swelling and inflammation in the joints.
‘Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol may have a protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis, in ways that we don’t yet understand – possibly comparable to effects of drinking moderate amounts of red wine on cardiovascular disease,’ said Professor Robert Moots, from the Arthritis Research Campaign.
However he was keen to caution against using the findings as an excuse to drink in excess.
‘There is no doubt that drinking too much is very bad for our health in many ways - and these risks by far outweigh any potential benefit for reducing the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. We must also remember that drinking alcohol in excess can be especially dangerous in patients taking some anti-rheumatoid drugs that may cause liver damage.’
Moots was also keen to highlight the study's other main finding - that smoking is by far the most dangerous habit when it comes to RA,
‘There are many modifiable lifestyle risk factors for developing rheumatoid arthritis, and as this study also points out, smoking is by far the greatest.’
More on arthritis
- NICE go ahead for rheumatoid arthritis drug
- Arthritis pain patch
- Complementary therapies and arthritis
- Arthritis, diet and exercise
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
