Beer, cider, other alcohol may increase gout risk: new study

This news will lighten some spirits – a new study finds that some alcoholic beverages may increase the risk of developing gout, a painful form of arthritis.

Men who drink alcohol at least five times a week have twice the risk of gout than those who drink less than once a week, according to researchers from China who analyzed the habits of more than 400,000 UK residents. .

For women, more frequent alcohol consumption is associated with a “moderately elevated” risk of gout, according to findings published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open.

Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis – it occurs when uric acid waste builds up in the joints. An estimated 9.2 million adults in the US have gout, with celebrities such as Jared Leto, Jim Belushi and Sarah Hyland detailing their experiences.

“There are many risk factors for gout. Some risk factors are genetic. “There are some people who have high uric acid, and no matter what they do, they have a higher risk of gout,” explained Dr. Diane Horowitz, director of the Northwell Health Rheumatoid Arthritis Center.

“Men have a higher risk of gout than women. “Women who are postmenopausal have a higher risk than women who are premenopausal,” added Horowitz, who was not involved in the new research. “Several dietary factors and alcohol consumption, genetics and gender are associated with gout.”

Alcohol has long been known to increase the risk of gout and can cause repeated attacks. Researchers for the new study explored how different alcoholic beverages affect the risk of gout in men and women.

Consumption of champagne, white wine, beer, cider and spirits was associated with a higher risk of gout in both sexes, with beer and cider showing the strongest association, the study found.

Spirits increase the risk of gout more for women, while red wine carries a “modestly higher” risk of gout for men.

“No significant association was found for fortified wine for either gender,” the researchers wrote.

There were some limitations to the study, including that participants reported their alcohol consumption sometime between 2006 and 2010. It is unclear how and if their drinking habits changed over time.

Horowitz says gout can be managed with lifestyle changes, such as reducing alcohol consumption, limiting gout-related foods, including red meat, organ meats and some seafood, and drinking more the water.

Plus, there are medications to help prevent gout flare-ups.

“If someone thinks they have gout or have had gout flares in the past, they should see their primary care physician or see a rheumatologist and get gout help to prevent future flares and recurrent gout,” Horowitz said. . “Flashes can cause bone damage, so you really want to get on top of that and prevent flares.”