A Blood Pressure–Lowering Diet Might Also Lower Gout Risk

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet reduces blood pressure and lowers uric acid levels in people with hyperuricemia. However, whether the DASH diet — rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products and low in sodium, sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats — lowers risk for gout is unclear. Researchers used data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study to examine associations between the DASH diet and risk for gout in 44,000 men without gout at baseline who completed food frequency questionnaires periodically. Diets were scored based on their similarity to the DASH diet or a “typical Western diet” (e.g., high in red and processed meats, French fries, refined grains, and sweets).

During 2…