Beer and liquor raise risk of gout

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Beer and liquor raise risk of gout

Last Updated: 2004-04-16 12:16:03 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By J. Brown, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The findings from a new study provide the

first hard evidence that drinking increases the risk of gout. This

association is strongest with beer, weaker with spirits, and apparently

non-existent with wine, according to the report in this week's issue of

The Lancet.

Although a link between alcohol use and gout has been " suspected since

ancient times, there have never been any prospective studies

investigating the association, " principal investigator Dr. Curhan,

from Harvard Medical School in Boston, told Reuters Health.

" Beer and liquor seemed to raise the risk of gout, whereas wine did

not, " Curhan noted. " So, the issue becomes: is the alcohol to blame for

this risk, or is it due to other components present? "

The results suggest that a nonalcohol component found in beer and liquor

raises the risk of gout, Dr. Curhan said. " Alternatively, it's possible

that alcohol itself does cause gout, but that some protective component

found only in wine cancels out this effect--I think this explanation is

stretching it a bit. "

The study involved nearly 47,150 men who participated in the Health

Professionals Follow-up Study. The subjects were gout-free when they

entered the study in 1986 and they were followed until 1998. During that

period, 730 cases of gout were confirmed.

As total alcohol consumption increased, so did the risk of gout. For

example, subjects who consumed most alcohol were 2.5-times more likely

to develop gout than subjects who did not drink.

As noted, the strongest association was seen with beer. For each 12-oz

serving per day, the risk of gout rose by almost 50 percent, the

investigators note. Liquor was also significantly linked with gout, but

for each shot per day the risk increased by just 15 percent. Drinking

wine was not significantly associated with gout risk.

The study population was male and predominantly white, " so it remains to

be determined if the findings apply to women and to other ethnic

groups, " Curhan said.

Avoiding beer and liquor is probably a good idea for people who have

been diagnosed with gout, but further research is needed before

additional recommendations can be made, he added.

SOURCE: The Lancet, April 17, 2004.

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