Women Susceptible to Psoriasis May Want to Opt for Light Beer

If you have psoriasis, or want to avoid it, you might want to bypass the full calorie beer and order up something a bit lighter, according to a new study published today in the Archives of Dermatology.

The research from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston's Harvard Medical School shows that drinking beer can increase the risk of psoriasis by more than 70 percent. The large scale study included 82,869 individuals between 27 and 44 years of age.

It was found that women who drank 2.3 drinks per week on average raised their odds of developing psoriasis by a startling 72% over those who don't drink at all. The risk of coming down with psoriasis went up another 2.3 times when women drank more than four beers per week.

An intriguing twist showed that consuming wine, light beer, and spirits didn't seem to increase the women's risk of psoriasis whatsoever. While this hasn't been tested further, scientists think that the reason full calorie beer may have this affect is because of the barley used in the fermentation process of fuller-bodied beers. Barely contains gluten, a starch that many psoriatics are sensitive to.

Psoriasis is an non-contagious, autoimmune disease that affects over 7 million Americans. The condition is charaterized by red, scaly patches, often with a whitish or silvery covering of dead skin cells. The condition can affect only a small area of the body, or can spread to cover the entire body in some individuals. There are many treatment options available, so if you think you may have psoriasis or want to learn more about it, contact a local dermatologist today.