The association between alcohol consumption and osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis and meta-regression of observational studies Rheumatology International
In addition, our primary analysis was biased towards cross-sectional and cohort studies which comprised the bulk of included studies [72]. Whilst publication bias was not obvious on a funnel plot, Egger’s test was conducted as an adjunct to improve the reliability of bias assessment [73]. This revealed a bias towards negative associations and was consistent with the top 10 best mens sober house in dorchester ma in boston, ma january 2024 point estimate observed in the primary analysis. Whilst we analysed studies grouped by absence or presence of confounder adjustment, the adjustment methodology varied significantly between individual studies. This heterogeneity can have greater impact on pooled estimates that report a weak association [74], which consistent with the findings in this meta-analysis.
Scientifically formulated with pro & prebiotics, L-Cysteine & B12 to help you feel your best the morning after celebrating. Once you take a sip of a drink, the alcohol lands in your stomach and makes its way into the intestinal tract, where it’s absorbed into your bloodstream. It then circulates through your heart and up to your brain where it crosses the blood-brain barrier and makes its way into the actual brain tissue. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Health. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.
A 2018 review of studies tracking nearly 600,000 people found that negative health effects of drinking begin at much lower levels than previously thought—about 3 and a half ounces of alcohol a week. And while moderate drinking may reduce the risk of diabetes for women, higher levels of drinking increase those risks for both men and women, according to a Swedish study in Diabetic Medicine. The health effects of alcohol go beyond feeling hungover and sluggish after a night of drinking.
Foods or drinks that are rich in purine (an aromatic organic compound), such as beer, distilled liquor, and wine, are known to trigger gout attacks. Moreover, grain-based alcohol, such as beer, that contains gluten is known to trigger joint pain and flare-up the symptoms of RA. Dealing with the symptoms of arthritis can make you more prone to fatigue, anxiety or depression. Remember that alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows down the areas of your brain that deal with behaviour and thinking. Reaching for alcohol to help you deal with mental health issues can end up making your overall mood worse.
The results of this study indicate that moderate consumption of alcohol may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis among women. However, the effect of higher doses of alcohol on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis remains unknown. Nitric oxide (NO) is another compound produced by macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer (NK) cells, and adds to RA progression [12]. NO has been shown to art therapy for addiction inhibit aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) as well as react directly with ethanol to form ethyl nitrite [61]. Acute ethanol exposure has also been shown to reduce Kupffer cell NO production [61]. Upon alcohol intake in vivo, human monocytes exhibit activation of STAT1/3, leading to STAT-dependent induction of suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) and downregulation of IL-6, IFN-α, and IFN-γ [62].
- All the included studies (Table (Table1)1) were observational in design; 16 were cross-sectional [24–39], 10 were cohort [40–49] and 3 were case–control studies [14, 50, 51].
- However, a 2018 study of 188 people with early RA found no difference in the severity of joint inflammation when the researchers examined their MRI scan results.
- If you don’t drink or drink very little, experts say you shouldn’t start or drink more because you think it may be good for you.
- The health effects of alcohol go beyond feeling hungover and sluggish after a night of drinking.
- Moreover, we did not have information on family history of rheumatoid arthritis, a possible confounder of the association under study and a proxy for shared familial (genetic and environmental) factors.
Even in mice without T and B cells, transferring CII-specific antibodies induced arthritis [121]. Acetate feeding of CIA mice has provided the same protective effect as observed with alcohol feedings [53,54]. Multiple studies have correlated alcohol consumption with reduced disease activity in RA. Analysis of two Scandinavian case–control studies revealed a significant dose-dependent reduction in risk of RA in alcohol consumers [20]. It was also elucidated that alcohol’s protective effects were significant in female RA patients and not in males [22]. A metanalysis of all studies up to the year 2013 solidified alcohol’s protection against RA, with this protection being significant only in the ACPA+ patients rather than ACPA− [23].
Multiple avenues of treatment have been undertaken from blocking TNF-α, IL-1R, IL-6R, CD20, CD80, and CD86 [12]. Variables of interest included the quantity of alcohol consumed over a given time, and other cohort information as shown in Table 1. Cohort size, ethnicity, BMI, and gender distribution were extracted to facilitate sensitivity analysis based on subgroups.
Meanwhile, moderate to heavy drinking can increase risk of colorectal, head and neck cancers, and heavy drinking increases risk of liver cancer. One way to help keep stress off your joints and reduce your arthritis symptoms is to manage your weight. However, alcohol is considered “empty calories” because it has little if any nutritional benefit.
2. The Effects of Acetaldehyde on the Immune System
Taking alcohol with these drugs can increase a person’s risk of liver damage. When a person drinks alcohol, their liver processes and breaks down the ethanol. Overloading the liver with excessive alcohol consumption can damage the liver. Summary of the inverse relationship of alcohol use and RA, grouped by known effects of alcohol and/or of its metabolites on different immune cells. In summary, both innate and adaptive immune cells have been reported to be affected upon alcohol exposure.
2. The Effects of Alcohol/Acetate on T–B Cell Relationship
Similarly, antimetabolites, when consumed together with alcohol, put the patients at higher risk of liver damage, such as hepatic fibrosis. Studies have shown that individuals with gout who consume alcoholic beverages have an increased risk of a gout attack. The study recommended that people with gout should limit all types of alcohol intake to reduce the risk of the attacks.
Data analysis
Some research says that small amounts of alcohol could reduce the risk of developing RA in the first place. Altogether, exposure to elevated acetate concentrations have been shown to inhibit neutrophil NET formation, and the GPR43 knockout mice failed to mount a the 4 stages of alcoholism for the functioning alcoholic proper GC-dependent immune response. That being said, there are a limited number of investigations into specific effects of acetate on immunity. Many studies address acetate as a part of SCFA mixture, justified by the SCFA mixtures produced by gut microbiota.
A funnel plot under a fixed-effects model was created to demonstrate the effect of SE and variance of individual studies (Fig. 3). This was visually inspected for asymmetry and evidence of publication bias. Our systematic analysis supported a relationship between alcohol consumption and disease activity in RA, where disease activity and HAQ scores are lower in those who consume alcohol compared to those who do not. Despite no significant difference seen between levels of alcohol consumption, both HAQ and DAS28 CRP were significantly lower in non-drinkers compared to those who consume alcohol. Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by a slow and progressive deterioration of articular cartilage. OA likely arises from a combination of systemic (genetics, age, environmental factors) and local factors (abnormal joint loading, overuse or trauma) working in concert to create a condition with definable morphologic and clinical characteristics.
What’s the Right Amount of Alcohol for Your Health?
On the contrary, radiographic assessment allows the degree of structural OA changes to be quantified. Interestingly, when grouped into such classifications, our analysis showed that only radiographic OA had a negative association with alcohol consumption. A potential explanation for this could be that individuals with symptomatic OA are more likely to consume alcohol as a means of analgesia [7]. A number of the drugs that help to manage arthritis symptoms don’t mix well with alcohol. This includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (sold under brand names like Advil and Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve), because there’s a greater risk of stomach ulcers and bleeding. Combining alcohol and medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or rheumatoid arthritis drugs methotrexate (Trexall) or leflunomide (Arava) can make you more prone to liver damage.
Previous work has compared alcohol consumption with erosive radiographic progression in RA. Nevertheless, this discrepancy highlights the need for further investigations into alcohol’s role in erosive changes. Patients attending a rheumatology clinic between 2010 and 2020 were prospectively followed. Information on demographics, alcohol use, smoking habits and disease outcome measures were collected from these patients. Statistical analysis included univariate and multivariate linear and binary logistic regressions, Mann-Whitney U tests and one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s honest significant difference (HSD) test.
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This study investigated the association between alcohol consumption and knee OA in a Korean population. Many of the medicines that are used to treat arthritis do not go well with alcohol. For example, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines increase the risk of stomach bleeding and ulcer in arthritis patients who drink alcohol.
In addition, our primary analysis was biased towards cross-sectional and cohort studies which comprised the bulk of included studies [72]. Whilst publication bias was not obvious on a funnel plot, Egger’s test was conducted as an adjunct to improve the reliability of bias assessment [73]. This revealed a bias towards negative associations and was consistent…