NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Moderate consumption of alcohol may lower a person's risk of infection with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium associated with stomach ulcers, UK researchers have found.

But people with ulcers are advised to avoid alcohol, which can aggravate ulcer pain. Alcohol consumption can also, in some people, boost levels of stomach acid.

H. pylori bacteria are commonly found in the human body and usually cause no harm. But experts believe that the bug contributes to a majority of stomach ulcers--although why this happens in only some people is unknown.

Although the infection is usually acquired in childhood, "little is known about the factors, apart from poor living conditions during childhood, that affect either acquisition or elimination of the organism," write lead author Dr. Liam J. Murray of The Queen's University of Belfast and colleagues.

"Lifestyle factors operating during adulthood such as smoking and alcohol consumption may influence spontaneous eradication of the organism," they add.

To investigate, the researchers evaluated various lifestyle habits including smoking, drinking and coffee consumption among 4,902 adult men and women. Of the group, 1,634 tested positive for H. pylori infection, according to the report published in the current issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

People who drank 3 to 6 glasses of wine per week had an 11% lower risk of H. pylori infection compared to those who did not consume wine. And higher wine consumption was associated with an additional 6% reduction in the risk of infection, the authors report.

In addition, drinking 3 to 6 half-pints of beer each week--but no more--was associated with a similar reduction in risk of infection when compared to people who did not drink beer. Smoking or coffee drinking were not related to the likelihood of active H. pylori infection, the report indicates.

The researchers speculate that antibacterial agents in red wine and beer may keep the infection at bay.

"Our data indicate that modest consumption of beer or wine--approximately one drink per day per week--protects against active H. pylori infection, presumably by facilitating eradication of the organisms. However, the data do not enable us to comment on the relevance of patterns of wine and beer consumption," Murray and colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: The American Journal of Gastroenterology 2002;97:2750-2755.

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