Different risk of gout depending on the alcoholic beverage consumed?
Gout, which develops with increased urate concentrations, is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. The prevalence of gout is sex specific and varies across global regions, with a male to female ratio ranging from 2:1 to 4:1 in Europe and North America and a substantially higher ratio of approximately 8:1 in Asia.
Continuous elevated serum urate levels are the main factor associated with the development of gout. Although genetic susceptibility plays an important role, lifestyle factors are also involved in the development of high urate levels (hyperuricemia) and gout. In particular, the intake of alcoholic beverages has been associated with elevated serum urate levels and thus might eventually cause gout through hyperuricemia.
In this study which involved 401 128 participants from the UK Biobank, a higher total consumption of alcoholic beverages was associated with a higher risk of gout for both men and women, more strongly for men than for women. Consumption of several specific alcoholic beverages (especially beer or cider) was associated with a higher risk of gout, similarly for men and women. In male and female red wine drinkers (4-6 drinks/week and > 7 drinks/week, respectively) no increased risk of gout was observed.
The authors concluded that their findings suggest that specific alcoholic beverages are associated with a higher risk of gout both in men and women. The observed sex-specific difference in the association of total alcohol consumption with gout occurrence may be due to differences between men and women in the types of alcohol consumed rather than biological differences.
