Professor Diaz-Cruz of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston recently published an article in the American Academy of Neurology showing that, according to an analysis of data from more than 900 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), those who regularly consumed hard liquor had lower Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores compared to those who did not drink alcohol. The degree of disability assessed was lower in those who drank beer, and there was a reduction in EDSS scores in those who drank beer, but no difference in EDSS scores between those who drank red and white wine. Professor Diaz-Cruz and colleagues also calculated that around 80 degrees of alcohol was the most preferred alcoholic beverage among all patients in the study. Increasing alcohol intake once a week reduced the risk of increased EDSS scores by 31%. Overall alcohol intake was also associated with a reduction in EDSS scores, with an overall ratio of 0.93. A total of 908 subjects were enrolled in the study, called CLIMB. All subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire about their drinking habits, including the frequency of drinking and their favorite type of alcoholic beverage, and Professor Diaz-Cruz and colleagues correlated and analyzed their responses with patient disease scores, including EDSS scores and multiple sclerosis severity scores (MSSS). Age, gender, disease duration, time to first treatment, and cumulative amount of disease-modifying drugs received were also analyzed. The majority of patients had only mild – moderate disability status (EDSS score of 1.5). All patients included 56 non-drinkers, 98 patients preferred 80 proof alcohol, 249 patients chose beer, 283 patients chose red wine, and 222 patients identified white wine as their favorite. The average number of alcohol consumption was 1.1 times per week. The results of the MSSS score analysis were similar to the results of the EDSS scores, i.e., the difference in MSSS scores for one additional drink per week was -0.07. The researchers did not find a correlation between white wine and red wine and EDSS or MSSS scores. They did, however, find that patients who drank beer had lower EDSS scores, although not as much as those who drank hard liquor. The study by Professor Diaz-Cruz and colleagues was first reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. They said they had data from a one-year longitudinal study of subjects in addition to the study. However, no correlation was found between alcohol consumption and changes in EDSS or MSSS scores. And there were no studies showing a correlation between alcohol consumption and changes in MRI of the brain. In reporting the results of this study, Prof. Diaz-Cruz also referred to previous studies, including two large case-control studies from Sweden, which have also shown varying degrees of protection against the risk of MS from alcohol consumption. Professor Diaz-Cruz added that some studies have shown that alcohol may interfere with certain immune pathways and may inhibit disease progression in autoimmune diseases such as MS. Ultimately, however, prospective cohort studies are needed to answer these questions.