ITWire

However, the Italian researchers conjecture that this relationship could be due to: ''¦ either that patients with more severe disease activity consume less alcohol due to associated changes in their lifestyle, or that the presence of alcohol in the system could protect against the development of systemic inflammation.'

Dr. Annekoos Leonoor Huidekoper, the lead researcher in the study, stated, "We know from previous research that alcohol consumption may confer a protective effect against developing RA [rheumatoid arthritis], our data have shown that this effect may apply to other arthritic conditions too.'

Dr. Huidekoper, also from Leiden University Medical Centre, in The Netherlands, added, 'What intrigues us now is that the findings related to systemic inflammation, further research into the inflammatory pathways involved is needed to determine the exact nature of the association."

Please read the before-mentioned EurekAlert article in more detail for further information.