Sugar-sweetened soft drinks
and fructose are strongly tied to an increased risk of gout in men,
drinking diet soft drinks, by contrast, did not increase the risk
according to a new report. [Agencies]
Sweetened soft drinks contain large amounts of fructose, a sugar
derived from fruit, which increase levels of uric acid.
However, no studies have investigated the link between these
beverages and the risk of gout, Dr. Hyon K. Choi told Reuters
Health.
These findings provide the first evidence that fructose and
fructose-rich foods are important risk factors for gout.
Choi, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and
Dr. Gary Curhan, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, used food
questionnaires to assess consumption levels of soft drinks and
fructose in 46,393 men enrolled in the Health Professionals
Follow-up Study who were gout-free at study entry and were followed
for 12 years.
During that period, 755 men developed gout, and the risk was
related directly to levels of sugar-sweetened soft drink
consumption.
Compared with soft drink levels of less than 1 serving per
month, consumption of 5 to 6 servings per week, 1 serving per day,
and 2 or more servings per day, increased the risk of gout by 29
percent, 45 percent, and 85 percent, respectively.
A similar trend was noted with fructose consumption. Compared
with subjects who consumed the lowest fructose levels, those who
consumed the highest had an increased gout risk of 102 percent.
Consumption of high-fructose fruits, such as apples and oranges,
was also associated with an increased risk of gout.
Alcohol is a "well-established, strong risk factor for gout,"
Choi noted.
However, the strong increase in gout risk associated with
sweetened soft drinks and fructose was "rather surprising,"
especially because current dietary recommendations for gout focus
on the restriction of alcohol and the amino acid purine, but have
no restrictions on sugar-sweetened soft drinks or fructose.
In light of these findings, Choi advises doctors to steer their
gout patients and patients with high uric acid levels away from
sugary soft drinks.
As for recommending reductions in high-sugar fruits, he said the
risks versus the benefits need to be considered on a
patient-by-patient basis.
Further research is needed to see if these findings also apply
to women, Choi added, and to determine if fructose is associated
with cardiovascular disease and other major disorders related to
high uric acid levels.
(Agencies via China Daily February 9, 2008)
