Alcohol for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Alcohol might have lost its appeal a little in the painful aftermath of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. But here’s a reason to keep drinking (at moderate levels).

Doctors believe regular consumption of alcohol can protect against rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The evidence emerged from mice with an artificially induced version of RA which drank daily doses of water containing 10% ethanol, the alcohol in beers, spirits and wines.

Over the course of several weeks they developed arthritis at a significantly lower rate than mice not given the "spiked" water.

As their disease progressed, they also displayed less destructive symptoms.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system reacts wrongly by attacking the body’s own joints.

The Swedish researchers believe alcohol interferes with the inflammatory immune response that drives the disease.

Part of the process involves the hormone testosterone, which was produced at higher levels in response to alcohol in the mice. This in turn was thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

The mice experienced no liver toxicity, or other health problems, suggesting that safe levels of alcohol may protect humans against rheumatoid arthritis.

The research, led by Dr Andrzej Tarkowski, from Goteborg University in Sweden, was reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Moderate alcohol consumption is already known to benefit the cardiovascular system and help prevent heart disease.

It is said to be one of the beneficial, as well as pleasant, aspects of the Mediterranean diet, which traditionally includes drinking wine with a meal.

Previous research has shown that Mediterranean diets are also associated with reduced symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

The Swedish researchers found that a chemical produced by the break down of ethanol in the body, acetaldehyde, had a similar protective effect.

The compound could potentially provide an alternative therapy for rheumatoid arthritis without the addictive properties of alcohol, they said.