July 28/Washington/Hindustan Times -- A new study has found that drinking alcohol may reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis. This is the first time that this effect has been shown in humans. The study also showed that alcohol consumption reduces the risk of developing the disease.
The study looked at 873 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and compared them with 1004 people without RA (the control group). The researchers, led by Gerry Wilson, professor of Rheumatology at the University of Sheffield (Sheffield, U.K.), asked the two groups how frequently they had consumed alcohol in the month preceding their inclusion in the study.