While beer drinkers are more likely to suffer osteoarthritis, a new study says drinking wine can lower the risks.
Daily Mail reports a study published in Arthritis Research Therapy suggests that people who drink a glass of red wine per day/night are 50% less-likely to suffer knee arthritis.
For the study, researchers from Nottingham University studied the drinking habits of 2,000 men and women suffering hip or knee arthritis and compared them with those of 1,000 healthy adults (ages 45-86).
According to results, wine drinkers who consumed four to six glasses in a week lowered their risks of arthritis. Meanwhile, those who drank at least 7 glasses a week were more than 50% less-likely to develop joint inflammation.
Alcohol consumption does worse for beer-drinkers, though. Those who drank at least 20 or more units of beer a week were 93% more at risk for knee arthritis and twice as likely to suffer hip arthritis.
"Beer consumption appears to be a risk factor for knee and hip osteoarthritis whereas consumption of wine has a negative association with knee arthritis," researchers concluded.
Although researchers admit the reasons are yet unclear, one theory states that polyphenols found in red wine called resveratrol help reduce inflammatory substances in the body.
Resveratrol, which comes from red grapes, cranberries, blueberries and nuts has various anti-aging properties. "Resveratrol improves the health of mice on a high-fat diet and increases life span," said David Sinclair, lead-author of a study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School.
These benefits, however, are only healthy to those who drink in moderation. "Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day," National Health Survey UK recommends. "Women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day."
A 250ml glass of 12% red wine (large) is equal to about 3 units of alcohol, while 175ml glass (medium) is about two units.
