Women Who Drink Beer More Likely to Develop Psoriasis

Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School scientists have found a curious correlation between drinking regular beer and developing the common autoimmune skin disease, psoriasis. This association between alcohol consumption and an increased risk for psoriasis, or worsening of it, has been suspected, and these researchers decided to investigate the relationship further. In their study, in 1991 82,869 women of age 27 to 44 were questioned about their alcohol consumption and if they had the disease. By 2005, 1,150 cases had developed in the women. From these cases, the risk of psoriasis was shown to be 72% greater in women who drank 2.3 drinks per week or more than women who did not drink at all. Also, women who drank non-light beer specifically revealed a risk 1.8 times greater. Other forms of alcohol, including light beer, curiously showed no relevance to risk. This suggested that a certain component found in only in regular beer could increase the risk of psoriasis. The researchers hypothesized this component as potentially the starch source in beer, perhaps barley. Barley and other grains could irritate the psoriasis in patients and would not be found in other alcoholic beverages and would be found in lower amounts in light beer, explaining this unexpected connection.

This article caught my eye for many reasons. For one, I actually have a very very mild case of psoriasis (unrelated to drinking regular beer). Although it is so mild that it can hardly be considered psoriasis, I still find articles and information about the disease interesting. Also, I found this correlation (and how specific it was) between regular beer and psoriasis very random and bizarre. I think it’s intriguing that two completely unrelated things can actually be proven related with some investigation. Perhaps there are many unlikely things causing or contributing to our most deleterious diseases.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100816162645.htm