Alcohol use has long been associated with the painful arthritic condition known as gout, and now researchers have confirmed that drinking can cause the disease to flare up, Reuters reported Sept. 26.
The joint pain of gout can be triggered even by moderate consumption of beer, wine, or liquor, according to researcher Yuqing Zhang of Boston University. Researchers questioned 179 gout patients who had experienced an attack within the previous year and found that those who had five to six drinks in a 48-hour period were twice as likely to experience an attack. More drinking raised the risk even higher.
"Thus, subjects with established gout should avoid drinking alcohol," said Zhang.
The study was published in the September 2006 of the American Journal of Medicine.
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