Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Sweet Soft Drinks, Fructose Linked to Increased Risk for Gout

News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Désirée Lie, MD, MSEd

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/569656?src=mp

February 4, 2008 — Consumption of soft drinks sweetened with sugar and fructose is strongly associated with an increased risk for gout, according to the results of a prospective cohort study reported in the February 1 Online First issue of the BMJ.

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in men. Its prevalence has doubled in the United States within the past few decades and increased 61% from 1977 to 1997, the same period in which sugar-sweetened soft drinks represented the largest single source of calories in the US diet with yearly per capita use increasing from 0 to 29 kg. Fructose administration in humans is associated with a rapid increase in serum levels of uric acid, which are greater in those with gout. The study authors hypothesized that increased intake of sweetened fructose-containing drinks was linked to the incidence of gout.

This is a prospective evaluation of the association between intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, juice, and fruit intake and the incidence of gout in a cohort of healthy men without a previous history of gout.

  • Consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks high in fructose, fruit juices, oranges, and apples are associated with an increased risk for gout in men.
  • Intake of diet soft drinks is not associated with an increased risk for gout in men.

No comments: