April 16 (Bloomberg) -- Alcohol, especially beer, raises the risk of gout, the most common form of inflammatory arthritis among men, according to a Lancet study confirming an ancient suspicion that alcoholic overindulgence leads to joint pain.

Men who consumed more than 50 grams (1.77 ounces) of alcohol a day were more than twice as likely to develop gout than those who didn't drink, Harvard Medical School researchers said in the 12-year study of 47,150 men. As few as two 12-ounce beers a day more than doubled the risk of the disorder, while the same level of wine consumption didn't worsen the outlook for gout.

``Individuals with gout should try to limit or even cut out their beer consumption, whereas wine may be allowed given other health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption,'' lead researcher Hyon Choi said in an e-mailed release.

Gout, one of the oldest known medical conditions, afflicts mostly men and usually strikes between the ages of 40 and 50, according to the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. It often starts in the big toe, with sudden attacks of pain and swelling, and can permanently damage joints and kidneys. Famous sufferers have included 18th-century American statesman Benjamin Franklin, who wrote ``Dialogue Between Franklin and the Gout.''

The Lancet study is the biggest to show a link between gout and drinking, the researchers said. Consuming two or more shots of liquor a day boosted the risk by a factor of 1.6, the study said.

Alcohol Intake

``They show that gout is related not only to the amount of alcohol intake but also to different alcohol beverages being drunk,'' Qing Yu Zeng of Shantou University Medical College in Shantou, China, said in a Lancet commentary. The data ``are also of value in prevention of gout by avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and/or careful selection of the type of alcohol.''

Needle-shaped crystal deposits of uric acid in joints cause gout, also called gouty arthritis, NIAMS said. Uric acids are a by-product of purines, substances found in human tissues and many foods, including meats, seafood, dried beans and beer. Uric acids are usually eliminated in the urine.

Alcohol consumption can contribute to uric acid build-up because drinking interferes with the body's elimination of uric acids and heavy drinkers tend to eat less, boosting the blood's acidity, the study said.

The researchers used surveys of 47,150 male health professionals who didn't have gout in 1986. The men answered questions about alcohol consumption and other health factors every two years between 1986 and 1998. Some 730 men developed gout that met the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology.

The study adjusted for age, energy intake, body-mass index, use of diuretic drugs that increase urination, history of hypertension or chronic renal failure and consumption of purine- rich foods, dairy foods and fluid.

Gout treatments include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Merck & Co.'s Indocin and Roche Holding AG's Naprosyn and corticosteroids such as prednisone, sold by Pfizer Inc. as Deltasone. When those drugs fail, patients get colchicine, a poison, to reduce inflammation and prevent attacks. Prometheus Laboratories Inc.'s Zyloprim and Mylan Laboratories Inc.'s Benemid help the body eliminate uric acid.

TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., a joint venture of Abbott Laboratories and Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd., helped fund the study.

More research is needed on factors other than alcohol that may contribute to gout, Zeng said in the commentary, noting that cases of gout have been on the rise in the past three decades.

To contact the reporter on this story: Martiga Lohn in Berlin at mlohn1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 15, 2004 19:01 EDT