Three units of alcohol a day can halve the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Henrik Kallberg from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm announced this finding of his research during the annual convention of the European League Against Rheumatism in Barcelona.

The study involved 1 400 persons with rheumatoid arthritis and 1 700 control persons without the disease. “Our data shows that alcohol can not only to offer protection against RA and reduce the risk caused by smoking or sensitive genes, but can also give us an idea as regards the useful dose”, so says the researcher. He suggests that alcohol may suppress the immune system and thus counter the inflammation process of rheumatoid arthritis.

The spokesman of Arthritis Research Campaign warned against premature conclusions, saying that drinking three units of alcoholic drink a day is not to be recommended for everyone.

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