Cheers Or Tears? How Beer And Cider Could Trigger Gout, Says New Research

A recent study has found that certain alcoholic beverages may increase the risk of developing gout, a painful form of arthritis. The research, conducted by a team from China, analyzed the drinking habits of over 400,000 people in the UK.

According to the study, men who consume alcohol at least five times a week have twice the risk of developing gout compared to those who drink less than once a week. For women, the study indicates that more frequent alcohol consumption is associated with a moderately elevated risk of gout. The findings were published on Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.

According to the study, higher consumption of several specific alcoholic beverages was associated with a higher risk of gout among both sexes. The sex-specific associations for total alcohol consumption may be associated with differences between men and women in the types of alcohol consumed.

"There are quite a few risk factors for gout. Some risk factors are genetic. There are some people who have high uric acid, and despite whatever they do, they have a higher risk for gout," Dr. Diane Horowitz, director of the Northwell Health Rheumatoid Arthritis Center, explained to The New York Post.

"Men have a higher risk for gout than women do. Women who are postmenopausal have a higher risk than women who are premenopausal," added Horowitz, who was not involved in the new research. "Certain dietary factors and alcohol consumption and genetics and gender are all associated with gout."

What is Gout?

According to NIH, Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain and swelling in your joints, usually as flares that last for a week or two, and then resolve. Gout flares often begin in your big toe or a lower limb. Gout happens when high levels of urate build up in your body over a long period of time, which can then form needle-shaped crystals in and around the joint. This leads to inflammation and arthritis of the joint. When the body makes too much urate, or removes too little, urate levels build up in the body. However, many people with high levels of serum urate will not develop gout.