Have Gout?
Been told to go easy on alcohol?
You may not have to.
When it comes to Gout, some alcoholic drinks are better than others. So, if you drink alcohol, choose wisely.
That’s according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.
This large study involved over 400,000 participants from the UK Biobank, ranging in age from 37 to 73.
The researchers, led by a team from Suzhou Medical College, tracked these participants over 15 years to see how their drinking habits influenced their risk of gout.
They focused on comparing total with no alcohol consumption and investigated the effects of specific alcoholic beverages, such as beer, cider, wine, and spirits.
Here are their key findings:
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1. Current drinkers (people who were drinking alcohol when the study started) had a 69% higher risk of developing gout compared to those who never drank.
2. The relationship was more pronounced in men. Current male drinkers were nearly 70% more likely to develop gout than men who never drank. On the other hand, current female drinkers didn’t show a significant increase in gout risk when compared to women who never drank.
3. Men who drank heavily were twice as likely to develop gout compared to women, with men showing a twofold increase in risk compared to women’s 34%.
4. The type of alcohol made a big difference. Beer and cider had the strongest link to gout, with an elevated risk of 60% for men and 62% for women.
5. Champagne or white wine and spirits were also associated with a higher risk of gout for both sexes, but not as high as beer or cider.
So interestingly, you may be best off drinking spirits over beer and wine. Although, all alcohol is bad when it comes to risk of Gout.