Drinking alcohol regularly could LOWER your risk of arthritis British review of studies found alcohol to have a protective effect against rheumatoid arthritis Condition affects around 600,000 British people Experts believe alcohol may have anti-inflammatory effect and also a mild painkilling effect Enjoying a a glass of wine could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis Drinking alcohol in moderation could slash the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research. Some regular drinkers were nearly half as likely to develop the crippling condition as teetotallers or those who rarely drank. Researchers discovered the connection after carrying out an extensive review of previous studies that looked into the role of alcohol and rheumatoid arthritis. The results, published in the journal Rheumatology, suggest a few drinks a week could have a protective effect against a disease that affects around 600,000 people in the UK. Although the latest investigation did not look at the reasons why a regular tipple might offer some protection, earlier research suggested it could be because alcohol appears to dampen down inflammation in the body and also has a mild pain-killing effect. Rheumatoid arthritis is triggered when the immune system, the body's in-built defence mechanism, goes into action unnecessarily, attacking joints and sometimes other parts of the body. The reasons why remain a mystery but some evidence suggests exposure to mild infection may be enough to launch this over-reaction. As a result, joints become inflamed and swollen, causing pain or stiffness, and many sufferers also experience flu-like symptoms. In very severe cases, they can end up crippled and unable to live a full or active life. Several small studies in recent years have hinted that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol could reduce the risks of developing the incurable condition. Animal studies, for example, indicate mice are less likely to suffer arthritis if they have small amounts of alcohol added to their drinking water. Rheumatoid arthritis is a crippling condition that causes extreme pain and in some cases deformity Now researchers from King's College London have carried out a meta-analysis, where data from earlier investigations are pooled to provide a more definitive answer. They gathered findings from nine different studies involving a total of nearly 12,000 patients. When they combined all the results they found that regular drinkers were 48 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. However, the benefits were confined to patients who tested positive for anti-citrulllinated protein antibodies. These are proteins that are released into the bloodstream when the disease in emerging and can often be detected before any symptoms appear. They affect around two-thirds of arthritis sufferers and their presence indicates a more severe form of the disease. Patients who tested negative for the protein, which suggests they have a milder form of the disease, saw little or no benefit from regular drinking. In a report on their findings the researchers said: 'Alcohol intake is inversely associated with ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis, suggesting a protective effect. But further research is needed to confirm this relationship.