ALCOHOL AND GOUT FLARE UPS

BAD NEWS for gout sufferers who enjoy vino. New research finds that all types of alcohol, even previously exempt wine, can bring on attacks of the painful condition. “I don’t want to sound too dogmatic and say, ‘You must stop drinking’,” lead author Dr. Tuhina Neogi remarked. But, the Boston University rheumatologist said, “Based on this study, I would counsel patients that any type of alcohol may trigger an attack.” Gout is a potentially debilitating form of arthritis that afflicts more than 8 million American adults, and the number is rising, Neogi’s team writes in THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. The so-called “disease of kings” causes joints to swell and redden. It most often strikes overweight men’s big toes but also affects feet, ankles, knees, hands, and wrists. A link between intoxicating beverages and gout has been suspected since ancient times.

Moderate drinking did not significantly raise women’s risk. Dr. Gary Curhan of Harvard Medical School, the study’s senior author, said, “I do think that doctors should advise their patients with gout to minimize their alcohol intake.” Because his study controlled for diet, Curhan discounted the notion that wine drinkers’ healthier lifestyles explained differences between his and Neogi’s results. Though Curhan’s study considered some food categories associated with gout, such as meats and seafood, it failed to include other categories, such as processed foods, or other lifestyle factors, like exercise and smoking, Neogi said. “It just may be that without accounting for these other factors, we can’t see the true effects of wine,” she said.