There is substantial difference between alcoholic drinks in their effect on blood levels of uric acid - and this could affect the likelihood of developing gout - Harvard investigators have found.

For example, they report in the medical journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, “beer confers a larger increase than liquor, whereas moderate wine drinking does not increase serum uric acid levels.”

Because of this, and because gout is caused by the deposition of uric acid crystals in joints, different drinks may result in “variation in the risk of incident gout,” Drs. Hyon K. Choi and Gary Curhan, from Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, conclude.

The researchers examined the association between consumption of beer, liquor, and wine in relation to blood levels of uric acid in a nationally representative sample of subjects - that is, 14,809 participants at least 20 years of age enrolled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Uric acid levels were greatest for high beer consumers, followed by those with the highest intake of liquor, the team reports.

No association was found between wine intake and uric acid levels.

This pattern held true for men and women, and for all categories of body weight. “No association was found with wine intake in any of the subgroups,” the investigators report.

SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, December 15, 2004.