(Thumbnail Image: Flickr)
BY ERIK SHUTE
If you’re working for the weekend ladies, beware of your late night beverage. A study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston found women who drink full-bodied beers are at a greater risk of developing psoriasis.
WCCO, the Minneapolis CBS affiliate, reported the link in the beer’s recipe.
“Researchers followed almost 83,000 women and found those who drank five or more beers per week, were almost twice as likely to develop psoriasis. ... Scientists believe, barley and other grains with gluten may be to blame.”
Out of the 82,000 participants, more than 1,000 claimed to develop the skin disease. The large-scale study’s authors say the results are persuasive, but other aren’t so sure. On ABC, Dr. Kord Honda of the University Hospital Case Medical Center explains.
“We’ve known for a while that patients who drink higher levels of alcohol may have a worse form of psoriasis … this study doesn’t point out that regular beer causes psoriasis, it could also be a marker meaning that people who drink regular beer may be doing something else in their life that puts them at an increased risk of psoriasis.”
Of course, full-bodied beers are not the only drink on tap. Bangkok news portal Thaindian News notes the study left some room for those women drinkers who abstain from the darker drafts.
“The only saving grace was that light beer was not linked with psoriasis. And red and even white wine were not linked with the disease either. The risk of developing psoriasis was said to be 72 percent greater in women, who had at least 5 non-light beers in a week compared to all those women who didn’t drink.”
And Amy Kuras of the blog “The Stir" isn’t worried about adopting any new habits soon. In fact, worse things might worry her.
“I have consumed a great deal of beer in my life. Most of it has been the full-flavored stuff, but I've never once had psoriasis or anything like it. And thank goodness; it sounds awful. As awful as being sentenced to a lifetime of drinking 70-calorie beer.”
So, do you think the risk is worth it?
