Beer may reduce risk of rheumatoid arthritis

A couple of beers a week may reduce a woman’s risk of painful rheumatoid arthritis by nearly a third.”

That’s a quote from AARP’s July-August bulletin. OK, so it was from an almost decade-old bulletin but if you can’t trust AARP, whom can you trust? So I believe everything they tell me. Especially if I agree.

They attribute this information to Harvard Medical School researchers who found that drinking two to four beers a week could cut a woman’s risk by 31 percent compared to women who never drank beer. Such information always triggers more questions.

If we drink four beers a week instead of just two, would that reduce our risk by 62 percent? Would a beer a day reduce the risk by 93 percent, which would definitely be worth it, particularly if you like beer, which I do. I like almost any beer that is not bitter. My favorite is a small, 7-ounce Mexican beer and I have been introduced to a double chocolate stout which is kind of like drinking your dessert.

Men may be less prone to rheumatoid arthritis but, for those susceptible, I wonder if beer would also reduce their risk? Studies always show that men can drink more than women before suffering ill effects so, logically, they would have to drink more than women to achieve favorable results, such as less risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

Another question is at what age should women start drinking at least a couple of beers a week? I suppose not before legal drinking age but then what? 21, 30, 40? Fifty seems to be stretching it and 60 — that’s got to be too late.

The good news is that a Gallup poll the same year reported more Americans say they prefer beer over wine or a cocktail with 41 percent of drinking adults typically choosing the brew. However, wine is still the top choice for women — (with 46 percent picking it) — and older people over 55 prefer wine over beer by a narrow margin. With those two groups — women and older people — the most likely to be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, we may want to rethink our beverage of choice.

In the same AARP health column, another item reported highly cynical people are more likely to develop dementia. The study, made in Finland, gave an example of those who agreed with statements such as, “I think most people would lie to get ahead,” were three times more likely to develop dementia than more trusting types.

And a third item noted that apples, strawberries and grapes had the most pesticides with avocados, sweet corn and pineapples the least.

So if you trust what AARP tells us, then what we, especially women, should do to cut our chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis, dementia and ingesting pesticides is drink beer, think happy thoughts and scrub the hide off that apple.

For the 36 percent of American adults who identified themselves as complete abstainers from alcohol, they’ll have to find another study.

Mary McClure lives in Lawton and writes a weekly column for The Lawton Constitution.