Psoriasis - Women and Effect of Beer

Beer Linked to Psoriasis

Regular Beer May Contribute to Psoriasis in Women

By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura Martin MD

Aug. 16, 2010 -- Unless it says “light” on the label, that frosty beer you drink may increase the risk of developing psoriasis, a painful skin disease that afflicts more than 7 million Americans, new research indicates.

That’s apparently true for women, at least, according to a study now online that will be published in the December print issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston examined data from 82,869 women who in 1991 were between the ages of 27 and 44.

Beer and Psoriasis

The women, participants in a research program called the Nurses Health Study II, described the amounts and types of alcohol they drank on questionnaires every two years, and also reported whether they had been diagnosed with psoriasis.

Among the findings: 1,150 cases of psoriasis developed, of which 1,069 were used for analysis.

Light beer, red and white wine, and liquor were not associated with psoriasis risk.

he risk of psoriasis was 72% greater among women who had an average of 2.3 drinks per week or more, compared to nurses who abstained from alcohol.

The risk of psoriasis was 2.3 times higher for women who drank five or more beers per week than nurses who didn’t drink beer.

Non-Light Beer

“Non-light beer was the only alcoholic beverage that increased the risk for psoriasis, suggesting that certain non-alcoholic components of beer, which are not found in wine or liquor, may play an important role in new-onset psoriasis,” the authors write in the study. “One of these components may be the starch source used in making beer.”

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, it’s 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.

“Women with a high risk of psoriasis may consider avoiding higher intake of non-light beer,” the authors say. “We suggest conducting further investigations into the potential mechanisms of non-light beer inducing new-onset psoriasis.”

Phototherapy for Psoriasis

If your psoriasis can't be controlled by topical treatments, your health care provider might suggest phototherapy, or light therapy. Ultraviolet light is emitted from the sun and, while it may be invisible to the eye, it can dramatically slow the growth of skin cells, reducing the symptoms of psoriasis. Getting sun is one way of helping your psoriasis. But artificial ultraviolet lamps and lasers are a more targeted way of treating the condition.

Sunlight. Getting sun is a simple way of helping your psoriasis, but this isn't an invitation to go bake at the beach. Too much sun results in sunburn that can worsen psoriasis, as well as increase your risk of skin cancer. If your doctor suggests that you try to get some sun each day, make sure that you carefully control the amount. Typically, 20 minutes a day should be enough.

UVB (Ultraviolet B). While sunlight can help, artificial ultraviolet light can be used on your psoriasis plaques with more precision. UVB treatment involves exposing yourself to lights designed to emit the sort of ultraviolet rays that are most helpful for psoriasis. Usually, you would get UVB treatment at the doctor's office, but you may also do it at home using a phototherapy lamp recommended by your doctor. Typical treatment is for three to five days a week for two or three months. UVB treatment may be combined with other approaches. One psoriasis treatment, called the Goeckerman regimen, consists of UVB therapy combined with coal tar. Another psoriasis treatment, called the Ingram Regime, combines UVB and a coal tar bath with an anthralin-salicylic paste.

Another approach to UVB treatment is called narrow-band UVB, in which the devices are refined to use only the wavelengths of ultraviolet B light that best help psoriasis. Because this approach is more focused, you'll need fewer sessions. As a result, experts believe that any potential risks from the rays are lower.

PUVA (Psoralen plus Ultraviolet A). PUVA uses a different band of ultraviolet light to treat psoriasis -- ultraviolet A -- in combination with psoralen, an oral or topical drug that makes your skin more sensitive to light. Because this approach uses medication as well as light, PUVA is sometimes called photochemotherapy. PUVA is particularly effective at clearing up severe psoriasis quickly and with long-lasting results, but it has some side effects, including nausea, exhaustion, headaches, burning, and itching. Most importantly, using PUVA over a long period of time can increase your risk of skin cancer. It's generally only used in extreme cases or when other treatments haven't worked. You would usually get 25 sessions of PUVA at your doctor's office two or three times a week. Scheduling it can be inconvenient.

Because psoralen drastically increases your body's sensitivity to light, it's important to protect your skin and especially your eyes after taking it. You should wear glasses that block ultraviolet light for at least 12 hours following treatment.