Gout, a painful joint malady affecting more than 5 million American adults, has been associated with an overindulgence in rich food and drink for hundreds of years.

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A new study finds that certain alcoholic beverages may also increase the risk of developing the condition.

Gout is caused by deposits of uric acid in connective tissue, often in joints of the feet or ankles, that lead to inflammatory arthritis. Symptoms include swelling, redness, stiffness, and severe pain.

A study involving nearly 50,000 men over a 12-year period shows gout is more likely to be associated with beer drinking than hard liquor. At the same time, moderate wine consumption is not linked to a risk of the disease.

The study, published in Saturday's issue of The Lancet, finds that men who drink two or more beers a day have a 2.5 times greater risk of developing gout than non-beer drinkers. Those who drank the same amount of spirits had 1.6 times the risk compared with no spirits intake.

On the other hand, the study says consumption of two 4-ounce glasses or more of wine per day is not associated with an increased risk of gout.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital said the findings suggest that it's the nonalcoholic components that vary across these alcoholic beverages that play an important role in the incidence of gout.

"It is well known that alcohol can raise levels of uric acid in the blood, but its role in actually increasing the risk of gout had never been confirmed," said Dr. Hyon Choi, a staff rheumatologist at the hospital and study leader. "This is the first study to confirm what we have long suspected."

Last month, the same research team reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that eating certain meats and seafood -- but not vegetables and overall protein -- also increase the risk of gout, while dairy foods may reduce the risk.

The Lancet