Drinking Too Much Alcohol
Some patients notice that if they drink too much alcohol, they have a flare-up, says Zhanna Mikulik, MD, an immunologist and rheumatologist who’s an assistant professor at Ohio State Universitys Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. Alcohol seems to trigger the release of molecules called cytokines, which worsen inflammation. Plus, alcohol is high in calories, and obesity exacerbates psoriatic arthritis.
What’s more, alcohol can cause liver damage, and some of the medications used to treat psoriatic arthritis can affect the liver as well. For all these reasons, its best to stay away from alcohol, Dr. Mikulik says. Instead, drink green tea: It contains compounds that may block the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1, keeping it from damaging cartilage in the joints, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Foods With Saturated Fats And Trans Fats
Fats in red meat, cheese, fried food, margarine, fast food and many processed snacks are known to trigger inflammation in the body. These fats increase the amount of low-density lipoprotein in your blood, also called bad cholesterol. Studies suggest there may be a link between excess fat in the body and development of psoriasis and worsening of psoriasis symptoms.
Women Beer Drinkers ‘increase Psoriasis Risk’
Women who drink beer regularly are more likely to develop the skin disease psoriasis, a US study suggests.
The study found that women who drank five beers a week doubled their risk of developing the condition compared with women who did not drink.
The Boston study, in Archives of Dermatology, looked at more than 82,000 female nurses aged 27 to 44 and their drinking habits from 1991 until 2005.
Non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits were not found to increase the risk.
In the study, researchers said that woman who drank more than two alcoholic drinks a week increased their risk of psoriasis by two-thirds compared with non-drinkers.
For women who drank five glasses of beer per week their risk of developing psoriasis was 1.8 times higher again.
When stricter criteria were used to confirm psoriasis cases, their risk was increased 2.3 times.
Yet women who drank any amount of low- or non-alcoholic beer, white wine, red wine or spirits per week were not found to be at increased risk.
Barley content
The study suggests that it could be the gluten-containing barley, used in the fermentation of beer, which is the cause of the increased psoriasis risk.
Previous studies have shown that a gluten-free diet may improve psoriasis in patients who are sensitive to gluten.
People with psoriasis may have a so-called latent-gluten sensitivity, compared with people without psoriasis, says the study.
The effects can range from mild to disfiguring enough to be socially disabling.
Don’t Miss: Ounces In 750 Ml Wine
Scandinavian Journal Of Rheumatology Study
This study looked at the effect of alcohol on radiological progression in the hands, wrists, and feet.
In radiological progression, periodic X-rays are used to determine how much joint erosion or joint space narrowing has occurred over time. It helps doctors to monitor the condition of people with RA.
The study found that moderate alcohol consumption led to an increase in radiological progression in women and a decrease in radiological progression in men.
Dont Miss: What To Do For Arthritis In The Shoulder
Other Psoriasis Triggers To Keep Tabs On
Alcohol isnt the only psoriasis boogeyman out there. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, other common triggers include:
- Stress.Psychological stress appears to play a role in psoriasis outbreaks. If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or super stressed, consider therapy or relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga.
- Skin injuries. Watch yoself cuts, scratches, sunburns, and injuries of all kinds may make your skin more susceptible to a flare-up.
- Infections. Infections weaken your immune system and can make psoriasis outbreaks worse.
- Certain meds. Medications like lithium and Inderal may make psoriasis symptoms worse. Talk with your doc to see if any of yours could affect your symptoms.
- Smoking cigarettes. Tobacco causes all kinds of probs, and psoriasis is one of them. Consider kicking your cig habit if youre hoping to reduce your symptoms.
- Dietary factors. Nightshade plants, gluten, dairy, shellfish, pork, red meat, and foods high in sugar and fat are common dietary triggers to consider avoiding.
Much like foundation shades and fave ice cream flavors, psoriasis triggers vary from person to person. So, what works for you might not work for your BFFWP .
You May Like: How To Make Apple Wine From Fresh Apples
Barley May Be Culprit
The researchers write that beer is one of the few non-distilled alcoholic drinks that uses a starch source for fermentation, and commonly, itâs barley.
Barley and other starches contain gluten, a substance that some people with psoriasis are very sensitive to, the researchers say.
The researchers say that the association between alcohol consumption and increased risk of new cases of psoriasis, or of the condition worsening, has been suspected for a long time.
âWomen with a high risk of psoriasis may consider avoiding higher intake of non-light beer,â the authors say. âWe suggest conducting further investigations into the potential mechanisms of non-light beer inducing new-onset psoriasis.â
Show Sources
Red Wine Is A Natural Antimicrobial Agent
The polyphenols in red wine have broad-spectrum activity against bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringes, Bacillus sp., Klebsiella sp.
S. aureus is the leading causWine septic arthritis, and red wine has an anti-microbial action against S. aureus, thus making it an effective natural remedy for septic arthritis.
What does this mean? The polyphenolic compounds in red wine specifically inhibit S.aureus, the major causative agent of septic arthritis. Red wine can be an alternative to antibiotics used to treat the same.
Also Check: Total Wine Paypal
Avoid All Packaged Foods
Canned, bottled, boxed and other packaged and processed foods usually contain refined sugar products and other hidden ingredients. For example, you will find many small pieces of dried fruits in packaged cereals and muesli. You will find many artificial colors, flavors as well as preservatives lurking in a wide variety of processed and packaged foods. You will surprised to see sugar of some kind of form as a main ingredient in many packaged and processed foods. Read the labels!
How Is Psoriasis Diagnosed
Doctors usually diagnose psoriasis by examining the skin, scalp, and nails. They’ll also ask whether someone else in your family has psoriasis and if you recently had an illness or started taking a new medicine.
Rarely, doctors might take a skin sample to check more closely. A can tell the doctor whether it’s psoriasis or another condition with similar symptoms.
Recommended Reading: Check Total Wine Gift Card Balance
Other Ways Alcohol Can Affect Arthritis Management
Without doing further damage to your joints or promoting medication side effects, alcohol may interfere with other ways of lessening arthritis pain. For example, your doctor will want you to get the best nights sleep possible, since most people with rheumatoid arthritis experience problems with sleep. University of Pennsylvania researchers found that RA patients with low-quality sleep are in more pain, more depressed, and function less well than those who sleep better. Alcohol may make you drowsy, but it messes with sleep quality, says Dr. Manno.
In addition, because alcohol has lots of calories, and many cocktails are loaded with added sugar, drinking can make it more difficult to achieve other goals that ease pain and improve function: building muscle mass, reducing body fat, and losing weight.
General Effects Of Alcohol
Alcohol by itself can be harmful, but there is an important role of its oxidative metabolite acetaldehyde, in disruption of the intestinal barrier, associated with alcohol consumption.6 This disruption acts synergistically with acetaldehyde. Alcohol and its metabolite acetone may promote keratinocyte proliferation in vitro and may thus enhance the permeability of the skin, disrupting its barrier function.7
Alcohol also has an effect on the metabolism of lipids, such as triglycerides and cholesterol, and may thus also affect the lipid composition of the skin barrier.8 Alcohol has been shown to induce rapid peroxidation of lipids in cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells in rats, which may be a triggering pathway for proinflammatory events in alcohol-induced brain vascular injury.9 It may also activate microglia and neurons in rats.10
Mast cells are believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, and alcohol may affect the number of mast cells as well as their degranulation.1719
The skin and central nervous system share a common origin through the ectoderm.
Alcohol affects the brain in several ways. Like other drugs, it stimulates the brains reward center via several neurotransmitter systems, depending on the phase of alcohol dependency of the individual.20
Read Also: Wine Yeast Where To Buy
Alcohol And Psoriasis: Can That Tequila Shot Really Be A Trigger
We dont know exactly what causes psoriasis, but your genes and certain environmental factors may affect your symptoms. Research suggests alcohol may be one of those factors.
Experts havent confirmed a link between alcohol and psoriasis for sure, but heres some of research that suggests folks who drink alcohol have a greater chance of psoriasis flare-ups:
- In a 2013 review, researchers found a link between alcohol consumption and psoriasis in 18 of 23 studies.
- A 2021 review concluded that alcohol can negatively impact psoriasis symptoms.
- A 2010 study found an increase in psoriasis onset in women who drank at least five non-light beers per week. Researchers speculated that the high starch content in darker beer may have triggered psoriasis symptoms.
So, what gives? Research from 2011 suggests that drinking alcohol may trigger inflammation in your body, upping your risk of infection. Inflammation and infections are known psoriasis triggers even if the science isnt totally conclusive yet.
In a 2019 review, researchers also speculated that alcohol may make your skin more permeable and therefore more susceptible to issues like psoriasis.
Red Wine: Good Or Bad
The health benefits of red wine have been debated for some time.
Many believe that a glass each day is a valuable part of a healthy diet, while others think wine is somewhat overrated.
Studies have repeatedly shown that moderate red wine consumption seems to lower the risk of several diseases, including heart disease.
However, there is a fine line between moderate and excessive intake.
This article takes a detailed look at red wine and its health effects.
Recommended Reading: Stella Rosa Wine Alcohol Percentage
Why Alcohol Might Trigger Symptoms
Psoriasis involves inflammation gone awry. Alcohol might make it worse. Normally, your immune system uses inflammation to help you fight off infections or recover from an injury. When you have psoriasis, your body goes into a state of inflammation by mistake, which may help fuel the skin condition.
Alcohol affects brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Some research suggests that those chemical messengers might play a role in the inflammation process with psoriasis. Thatâs just one theory, though.
Even though many doctors and dermatology associations agree that alcohol seems to trigger psoriasis or make it worse, some scientists think we need more research to know for certain. They want to find out things like:
- How much alcohol it takes to trigger someoneâs symptoms for the first time
- How much booze it takes to make psoriasis worse
- Whether the type of alcohol plays a role
- How much of an effect quitting drinking can have on psoriasis
One review of available research says it can be hard to draw firm conclusions about alcohol from older studies. The participants in those studies mightâve had more than one psoriasis trigger . Also, past studies looked at different amounts of drinking, which makes it tricky to compare results.
That means it will take new research, specifically designed to answer these questions, to fully understand the link between psoriasis and booze. But, the stigmas tied to both psoriasis and alcohol make it hard to find enough people to study.
Throwing Your Hands In The Air
Living with a chronic inflammatory condition can be overwhelming, but this doesnt mean your hands are tied. A good first step to managing your psoriatic arthritis is to educate yourself about your condition, with the help of such resources as your doctor, the Arthritis Foundation, and the National Psoriasis Foundation.
Its also smart to get started right away on a regimen of medication, say Goodman. Its overwhelming to try to quit smoking and lose weight while you feel exhausted and are in pain from unchecked inflammation, she says. Once patients begin treatment and feel better, they find other goals less challenging.
Additional reporting by Susan Jara
Also Check: How Much Carbs Are In Wine
Red Wine Contains Powerful Plant Compounds And Antioxidants Including Resveratrol
Grapes are rich in many antioxidants. These include resveratrol, catechin, epicatechin and proanthocyanidins .
These antioxidants, especially resveratrol and proanthocyanidins, are believed to be responsible for the health benefits of red wine.
Proanthocyanidins may reduce oxidative damage in the body. They may also help prevent heart disease and cancer (
- 11.5 glasses a day for women.
- 12 glasses a day for men.
Some sources also recommend having 1-2 alcohol-free days each week.
Keep in mind that this refers to total alcohol intake. Drinking this amount of red wine in addition to other alcoholic beverages could easily put you in the range of excessive consumption.
If you have a history of substance abuse, then you should probably avoid wine and any other alcoholic beverage completely. Also be very careful if you have a family history of alcoholism.
Bottom Line:
Moderate intake of red wine is defined as 1-2 glasses per day. It is also recommended that you have at least 12 days a week without alcohol.
Alcohol Abuse And New Psoriasis
Alcohol may not only be a possible trigger of psoriasis flares. Research shows that people who have psoriasis drink more alcohol than people without the condition.
One reason for this might be that getting diagnosed with a long-term skin disorder can take a psychological toll on you. Psoriasis is linked to low self-esteem and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Some people turn to alcohol to try to feel better, even though it might only make their skin worse.
If you find yourself using alcohol to manage your mood, ask your doctor, a counselor, or loved ones to help you quit as soon as possible. You can learn healthy ways to take charge of your emotions — and once you stop drinking, you might have fewer psoriasis flare-ups as a result.
Show Sources
Also Check: Best Cheese For Crackers And Wine
Common Habits That Worsen Psoriatic Arthritis
Having an extra glass of wine with dinner may seem harmless, but did you know it could trigger a flare-up? Discover seven other habits to avoid if you have psoriatic arthritis.
Lyuba Burakova/Stocksy
If youre living with psoriatic arthritis, a chronic inflammatory condition that can accompany psoriasis, you want to do whatever you can to help keep your symptoms under control. Because there is no known cure for psoriatic arthritis, controlling symptoms which can help prevent joint damage is the treatment goal.
Of course, taking your medication and following your doctors orders is one way to help ensure treatment effectiveness. But its equally important to pay attention to the lifestyle choices you make every day. Do you practice any of the following eight common habits? If so, follow the suggestions to swap those behaviors for other, healthier habits to help better manage your psoriatic arthritis.
Wine Calms High Blood Pressure
In the study, which appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers followed more than 36,000 healthy middle-aged men who were not taking drugs for heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure.
The men’s health and drinking status were recorded in an exam conducted between 1978 and 1985 and deaths among the group were tracked for 13-21 years.
Overall, 4,203 deaths were recorded during the study period. Researchers found that at each blood pressure level, men who drank less than 60 grams of alcohol a day from wine were less likely to have died from any cause than those who didn’t drink, even among those with high blood pressure.
Specifically, men with an average systolic blood pressure of:
- 158 mm Hg had a 23% lower risk
- 139 mm Hg had a 27% lower risk
- 116 mm Hg had a 37% lower risk
The study was supported by the French Ministry of Agriculture and the European Institute for Wine and Health.
Show Sources
Don’t Miss: How Many 1.5 Oz In 750 Ml
What Is Red Wine And How Is It Made
Red wine is made by crushing and fermenting dark-colored, whole grapes.
There are many types of red wine, which vary in taste and color. Common varieties include Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon, Pinot noir and Zinfandel.
The alcohol content usually ranges from 1215%.
Consuming moderate amounts of red wine has been shown to have health benefits. This is mainly due to its high content of powerful antioxidants.
The alcohol in wine is also believed to contribute some of the benefits of moderate wine consumption .
Bottom Line:
Red wine is made by fermenting dark-colored, whole grapes. It is high in antioxidants, and drinking moderate amounts has been shown to be good for health.
What Else Should I Know
Making healthy choices can help with psoriasis. Here are some things you can do:
- If you smoke, quit. Smoking can trigger outbreaks of psoriasis in some people.
- Avoid alcohol. It can make psoriasis treatments less effective.
- Eat healthy foods. Eating a lot of fruits and vegetables can help fend off diseases that might trigger psoriasis.
- Stay at a healthy weight. This decreases the risk of inverse psoriasis.
- Keep skin clean and well moisturized. Bathing daily with bath salts or oils and then applying moisturizer can help ease the symptoms of psoriasis.
People who have psoriasis may feel self-conscious about how it looks. That’s one reason why some people turn to a therapist or join a support group of people who understand what they might be going through.
The key to psoriasis treatment is keeping up on whatever your doctor prescribes. If that means applying an ointment twice a day, then find a way to remind yourself to do it so you don’t forget. Psoriasis is one of those things that you need to stay focused on treating, even when you’re feeling OK.
Whether your psoriasis is mild or severe, learn all you can about it. Talk to your doctor or check websites like:
You May Like: How To Make Glasses Out Of Beer Bottles
