PHILADELPHIA — Weight loss was linked to significant drops in serum uric acid levels in a prospective study with more than 12,000 men with high cardiovascular risk.
“Weight loss could substantially help achieve a widely accepted therapeutic uric acid target level of 6 mg/dL among men with a high cardiovascular risk profile,” Yanyan Zhu said at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.
Ms. Zhu and her associates used data from 12,510 men with a high cardiovascular risk profile enrolled in the MRFIT (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial), a study begun in the early 1970s. MRFIT assessed the role of multiple risk-factor interventions, including a special diet, on mortality from coronary heart disease.
The men's mean age at baseline was 46 years. Their average body mass index was 28 kg/m
The study design had the men return annually for clinical assessments for 6 years. During follow-up, 39% had weight loss, 31% had no weight change, and 30% gained weight.
In an analysis that adjusted for baseline covariables of hypertension, diuretic use, alcohol use, and serum creatinine, men who lost weight during follow-up had a statistically significant reduction in their risk for having hyperuricemia, said Ms. Zhu, an epidemiologist at Boston University. The more weight they lost, the lower their risk for hyperuricemia. (See box.) A weight loss of at least 10 kg was associated with a 56% drop in the risk for hyperuricemia. In contrast, men who gained weight during follow-up had a significantly increased risk for hyperuricemia. Again, the risk rose with greater weight gain, with a weight gain of at least 10 kg associated with a 54% increased risk for hyperuricemia
A second analysis showed similar, significant relationships between changes in weight and changes in the serum level of uric acid. The more weight patients lost, the lower their uric acid levels fell, whereas the more weight they gained, the higher their levels rose. (See box.)
Ms. Zhu and her associates hypothesized that the impact of weight change on serum uric acid occurred through changes in uric acid production and renal excretion.
Ms. Zhu had no disclosures.
Source Elsevier Global Medical News