Beer drinking linked to psoriasis in women
A glass of wine is fine, ladies, but you might want to steer clear of the beer, according to a study in the Archives of Dermatology this week. Researchers from Harvard University found that women who drank regular beer were 76 percent more likely to develop psoriasis compared to as those who did not consume alcohol. Those women who drank light beer, red or white wine, or other liquor were not at increased risk of the skin condition characterized by itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales.
A glass of wine is fine, ladies, but you might want to steer clear of the beer, according to a study in the Archives of Dermatology this week.
Researchers from Harvard University found that women who drank regular beer were 76 percent more likely to develop psoriasis compared to as those who did not consume alcohol. Those women who drank light beer, red or white wine, or other liquor were not at increased risk of the skin condition characterized by itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales.
The researchers analyzed 82,869 women from the Nurses Health Study II, a long term study that included 116,671 women aged 27 to 44 starting in 1991. That analysis found that compared with those who did not drink, the risk of psoriasis 72 percent higher for those who had 2.3 drinks or more per week. When the type of alcohol consumed was analyzed the researchers found a 76 percent increased risk of psoriasis for the women who drank regular beer.
"Nonlight beer intake is associated with an increased risk of developing psoriasis among women," the researchers concluded. "Other alcoholic beverages did not increase the risk."
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