BARCELONA, Spain—Consuming >3 alcoholic beverages per week may halve your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to new research presented at EULAR 2007 in Barcelona.¹ The more alcohol a person consumed, the more one's risk for RA was reduced, said Henrik Källberg, a PhD student at the Karolinska Institute, in Stockholm, Sweden.

"These data now show not only that alcohol can protect against RA and reduce the risk conferred by smoking and susceptible genes, but also gives an idea of the relevant alcohol doses necessary," Dr. Källberg said. "You lower your RA risk from smoking by drinking alcohol, but the risks of smoking still remain."

The exact protective mechanism of alcohol is not known, but it may downregulate NFƘB signaling pathways, he told CIAOMed.

The population-based, case-control study included 1204 RA patients and 871 RA-free controls who were recruited between 1996 and 2003. Patients were classified by their exposure to alcohol and cigarette use on a weekly basis. The most common alcoholic beverage consumed was wine.

RA patients also were classified by the presence or absence of anti-CCP2 antibodies and were genotyped by the presence of HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) alleles.

Overall, consuming >3 alcoholic beverages per week was associated with a decreased risk of developing RA (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.4-0.7). Dr. Källberg found that there appeared to be a dose-dependent relationship observed with participants who drank 10 alcoholic beverages a week receiving even more protection from RA than their counterparts who drank less.

The estimated OR associated with alcohol consumption was similar regarding the risk of anti-CCP positive RA as the risk of developing anti-CCP negative RA. However, the association between alcohol consumption and RA was modified by both smoking and the presence of HLA-DRB1 SE alleles.

More epidemiological data highlight other risks for RA

Related epidemiologic data presented at the meeting² showed that smoking and low levels of education, such as elementary school only versus college degrees, increased one's risk of developing RA, reported Carl Turesson, MD, PhD, with the department of rheumatology at Malmo University Hospital, in Sweden. Lower glucose levels after an oral glucose test was also associated with an increased risk for RA. Breastfeeding for 13 months or longer, however, was found to be protective, he said.

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References

1. Källberg H, Padyukov L, Rönnelid J, et al. Ethanol consumption is associated with decreased risks for developing RA: Results from the Swedish EIRA study. Presented at: EULAR 2007 Meeting; June 13-16, 2007; Barcelona, Spain. Abstract OP0129.
2. Bergström UGB, Jacobsson L, Nilsson J, et al. Smoking and low formal level of education are independent predictors of rheumatoid arthritis. A case-control study. Presented at: EULAR 2007 Meeting; June 13-16, 2007; Barcelona, Spain. Abstract OP0130.