SWEDEN: Regular drink can help fight rheumatoid arthritis

STOCKHOLM (Newsday, Long Island, NY), June 6, 2008: A regular tipple cuts the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to half, Swedish research suggests. The Karolinska Institute assessed 2,750 men and women in two studies, the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, a specialist journal published by the British Medical Association, reports this week. Among the 2,750 people, 1,650 had rheumatoid arthritis. All the participants were asked about their lifestyles, including how much they smoked and drank. Their blood also was analyzed to gauge genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis. The risk was up to 50 percent lower for those who drank the equivalent of five glasses of wine a week compared with those who drank the least, researchers found. However, the researchers concluded that giving up smoking remains the single most important preventive measure. Their finding underscored the importance of lifestyle factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, the study authors said. "Moderate alcohol consumption is not deleterious and may in some contexts be beneficial concerning risk for future onset of rheumatoid arthritis," said lead researcher Henrik Kallberg, of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Moreover, in people with antibodies to a group of proteins involved in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, drinking alcohol also cut the risk of developing the disease. And in most smokers who had genetic risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis, drinking also reduced the risk of the disease. Smoking is a major risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, and that risk is increased for those with a genetic susceptibility to disease, the researchers noted. Kallberg stressed the most important finding of the study was that smoking was a very significant risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis, reinforcing findings from previous studies. However, arthritis experts also warned that drinking too much alcohol increased the risk of a range of health problems. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The body's immune system uses its own antibodies to attack joints, resulting in pain, swelling and loss of joint function. It affects between 0.5 and 1 percent of people, according to figures for the industrialized world. Professor Robert Moots, from the UK's Arthritis Research Campaign, told the British Broadcasting Corp. it was possible that drinking alcohol may have a protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis. But he said the study was not conclusive and any protective effect was not properly understood. "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," he said. Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc