Alcohol intake is strongly associated with risk of gout in men, according to the April 17 issue of the Lancet. A link between the two has been purported since ancient times but not, till now, proven. Beer confers the largest risk, say the researchers, and then liquor. Moderate wine consumption is not associated with increased risk.

Americans are caregivers, by choice or by default. According to a report issued in April by the National Association of Caregiving and AARP, about 44.4 million adult Americans (21% of the adult population) provide unpaid care to an adult 18 years of age or older; 83% of these caregivers are helping relatives. And almost a fifth of these care-givers spend at least 40 hours per week providing care. Women typically provide more hours and a higher level of care than men; they're also more likely than men to say that they had no choice in taking on the responsibility. The report, Caregiving in the U.S., funded by the MetLife Foundation, can be downloaded from http://research.aarp.org/:1/vs_caregiving.pdf.