Midlife Health Tip: Moderate Drinking May Help Ward off Rheumatoid Arthritis

According to a Reuters Health article, two separate Scandinavian studies indicate that the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis is lower in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol.

The likelihood of having rheumatoid arthritis was reduced by about 40 percent to 50 percent among subjects [of the two studies] with the highest consumption of alcohol compared to those with the lowest consumption.

In both studies, the risk reduction with alcohol consumption was more pronounced among people who had ever smoked than among never-smokers.

"The main message remains that cessation of smoking is the most effective way to diminish the risk of rheumatoid arthritis," Kallberg and his associates conclude, "but that this recommendation should not necessarily be combined with a recommendation to stop moderate alcohol consumption."

Despite this report, the British Society for Rheumatology strongly cautions against excessive drinking.

The reports will be published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.