Moderate drinking may have some heart-healthy benefits, but its protective effects might not stop there. A new study suggests that alcohol might diminish the intensity of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and could lessen the risk of getting the disease.

The study, published online this week in the journal Rheumatology, examined drinking frequency in 873 white men and women with erosive, or inflammatory, RA, as well as 1,004 healthy people. In questionnaires, they were asked how many days over the last month they had had at least one alcoholic drink. They were also asked if they never drank, ever drank, or were a regular drinker.

Those with RA who had a history of most frequent drinking had less serious symptoms than those who never drank or drank infrequently.

In X-rays, those who drank more frequently showed reduced joint damage, and blood tests revealed less inflammation compared with those who drank less frequently. There was also less swelling, joint pain and disability among the more frequent drinkers.

People who never drank were four times more likely to develop RA than those who drank alcohol on more than 10 days a month. The findings cut across gender lines.

As for why alcohol may have a positive effect on RA, its effect on immune system suppression may be a key. “There is some evidence to show that alcohol suppresses the activity of the immune system, and that this may influence the pathways by which RA develops,” lead author Dr. James Maxwell, a consultant rheumatologist at the Rotherham Foundation NHS Trust in Britain, said in a news release. “Once someone has developed RA, it’s possible that the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of alcohol may play a role in reducing the severity of symptoms.”

-- Jeannine Stein