Drinking alcohol in moderation reduces the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women, a new study states.
The study analysed 238,131 participants of the Nurses Health Study and Nurses Health Study II.
The researchers asked the women about their lifestyle and the amount of alcohol intake. These participants were divided into three groups- high, moderate and low- depending on their alcohol consumption. The authors defined moderate alcohol consumption as 5.0 to 9.9 grams/day.
After careful examination, the researchers found that 908 women developed rheumatoid arthritis during the study time frame. The findings revealed that women with moderate levels of alcohol intake had a 22 percent lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis compared to women who did not drink alcohol. Furthermore, women who drank two to four servings of beer per week had a 31 percent reduction in RA risk.
Although heavy alcohol intake is known for causing severe health problems the researchers said, drinking in moderate levels leads to no harm. However, they did not explain how alcohol intake reduced RA risk.
Researchers stated that women who drank higher amounts of alcohol were found to be smokers. However, smoking did not affect the link between alcohol and RA in these women.
"Alcohol is thought to have effects on both the hormonal and immunologic systems, although the current knowledge is incomplete and often conflicting," researchers wrote in the study, reports daily Rx.
These authors wrote in their results "... suggest that the cumulative effect of long-term moderate alcohol exposure, not short-term alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of developing RA."
The study was published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.
