(04-10-10) Drinking Beer Linked to Psoriasis

by Maddie Ellison, citizen journalist



Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes patches of scaly, thick skin that
can be silvery, white or red. It can appear all over the body but it is most
common on the elbows, scalp, lower back and knees. It's estimated that 125
million people throughout the world suffer from psoriasis. Up until recently
there was no known cause of this disease. However new research has shown that
one culprit might be beer.

82,869 women were involved in a study done by Brigham and Women's Hospital and
Harvard Medical School. Every two years the women were sent questionnaires that
asked what kind of alcohol they drank and how much of it they consumed. They
were also asked if they had been diagnosed with psoriasis.

The researchers found that light beer, red and white wine, and liquor didn't
cause an increase in risk for developing psoriasis. However drinking regular
beer was a different story. The risk of getting psoriasis was 72% greater for
women who drank an average of 2.3 beers per week or more compared to women who
didn't drink alcohol at all. That risk went up even higher for women who drank
5 or more beers a week.

The authors in the study state: "Non-light beer was the only alcoholic
beverage that increased the risk for psoriasis, suggesting that certain non-
alcoholic components of beer, which are not found in wine or liquor, may play
an important role in new-onset psoriasis."

So what is it about regular beer that could cause psoriasis? Beer is one of
the few non-distilled alcoholic drinks that use a starch source for
fermentation and most of the time that source is barley. Barley contains
gluten. People who suffer from psoriasis commonly have a sensitivity to gluten.
The authors of the study say that "women with a high risk of psoriasis may
consider avoiding high intake of non-light beer." Researchers also say that
more studies should be done to see if there are any other components of non-
light beer, other than barley, that may be causing new cases of psoriasis.

Resources
http:/www.skincarephysicians.com/psoriasi...
http:/blog.medbroadcast.com/?p=7202&rot=145
http:/webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/psoriasis/news/20100816/beer-
linked-psoriasis
(NaturalNews)

News

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