Regular Tipple May Cut arthritis Risk

A regular tipple cuts the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to 50 percent, according to a new study.

Researchers at Karolinska Institute came to the conclusion by assessing 2,750 people in two separate studies, which looked at environmental and genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis.

Over half the participants (1650) had the disease and had been matched for age, sex, and residential locality with randomly selected members of the general public.

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.

The results showed that drinking alcohol was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. And the more alcohol was consumed, the lower the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

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

The effect was 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 rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers stressed that the most important finding of the study was that smoking was a very significant risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis.

The authors concluded that their research reinforces the importance of lifestyle factors in the development of the disease, and that giving up smoking remains the single most important preventive measure.

They pointed to recent experimental research by other authors, which showed that alcohol protected against the development and severity of rheumatoid arthritis, although it is not clear exactly how it does this.

The study is published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.