Diet Might Play Less of a Role in Gout Than Previously Thought

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM

Diet is less responsible for hyperuricemia than a person's genetic predisposition, a meta-analysis in The BMJ suggests.

Researchers analyzed data from five cohorts comprising 17,000 patients of European ancestry in the U.S. Participants completed food-frequency questionnaires, had their serum urate levels measured, and underwent genome-wide genotyping.

Beer, spirits, wine, potatoes, poultry, soft drinks, and meat were associated with increased urate levels. Meanwhile, eight foods were tied to lower levels: eggs, peanuts, cold cereal, skim milk, cheese, brown bread, margarine, and non-citrus fruit. Three dietary patterns — Healthy Eating, DASH diet, and Mediterranean diet — were associated with lower urate levels, but each dietary pattern could only explain 0.3% or less of the variation in urate levels. In contrast, common genetic variants explained 24% of the variation.

Editorialists conclude that the study "provides important evidence that much of patients' predisposition to hyperuricaemia and gout is non-modifiable."