Can a beer a day keep arthritis away? That appears to be the case in a new study conducted by Swedish researchers who found that regular alcohol intake can cut a person's risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by half.
Speaking at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, Henrik Kallberg of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said that drinking three or 10 glasses of wine or beer weekly can help prevent RA, a crippling inflammatory disease that affects over 20 million people worldwide.
Consuming these amounts resulted in a 50 percent drop in the risk in developing the disease and they appear to offset genetic and smoking-related risks of RA. The study involved over 2,000 Swedes.
"These data not only show that alcohol can protect against RA and reduce the risk conferred by smoking or susceptible genes, but also give us an idea of the relevant doses necessary," Kallberg said.
The announcement was welcomed by Tore Kvien, president of the European League Against Rheumatism, who called the findings "very interesting" but cautioned against excessive drinking that could lead to other medical problems. He said more research is required to determine how alcohol protects against RA.
Earlier, Swedish researchers found that mice were protected from RA when they were given daily doses of water containing ten percent ethanol - the alcohol in beers, spirits, and wines. Compared to other mice, the ones who took the "spiked" water developed RA at a significantly slower rate.
No one knows why this happens but Kallberg believes alcohol affects the immune system that RA targets. Unlike osteoarthritis that results from the wear and tear of the joints, RA is an inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system attacks the tissue that lines the joints.
"RA usually causes problems in several joints at the same time. Early in RA, the joints in your wrists, hands, feet, and knees are the ones most often affected. As the disease progresses, your shoulders, elbows, hips, jaw, and neck can become involved. It generally affects both sides of your body at the same time. The knuckles of both hands are one example," according to the Mayo Clinic.
"Although more work is needed to unravel the science behind the connection, Kallberg said it was likely that alcohol suppressed the immune system and damped down the inflammatory process behind the condition," reported Ben Hirschler in Reuters.
As researchers continue to unravel the mysteries of alcohol, they say there's no harm in drinking moderately, especially in view of alcohol's protective effects against RA. To rebuild and lubricate worn joints damaged by arthritis, eliminate stiffness, and reduce pain and inflammation, take Flexcerin, a natural supplement without the side effects of other prescription painkillers. Check out http://www.flexcerin.com for details.
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