Gout in men linked to sugary soft drinks

6 February, 2008

Researchers have found yet another reason why fizzy drinks or soft drinks sweetened with fructose are a no-no, especially for men.

Latest research has revealed that men who consume such drinks in large quantities put themselves at higher risk of contracting gout compared to those men who do not have this habit.

Women are less likely to suffer from gout than men.

Researchers at Harvard University, the United States, and University of Vancouver, Canada, have found that men who consume 2 or more sweet beverages a day have an 85% increase in the risk of contracting gout. Those who drink 5 or 6 sweet beverages a week are about 30% more likely to suffer from bouts of gout than those who drink less than 1 serving a month.

The study also showed that, apart from cane-sugar in drinks, natural fruit sugar, or fructose, posed considerable risk of contracting gout. This means that people who drink orange juice or apple juice or even eat orange or apple regularly are inclined to develop gout.

In the study, published in the February 1, 2008, issue of the British Medical Journal, the authors wrote, "The risk of gout was about twice as high among men in the highest fifth of free fructose consumption than among men in the lowest fifth… the current study provides prospective evidence that fructose and fructose-rich foods are important risk factors in the primary prevention of gout in men.”

They continued, "Alcohol is a well-established, strong risk factor for gout. 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.”

As a part of a wider study into diet and general health, Hyon K Choi and Gary Curham, researchers, used questionnaires to find out the consumption levels of fizzy drinks in over 46,000 male medical professionals – aged 45-70 and with no history of the illness – over a period of 12 years. A total of 755 of them reported incidents of gout with the risk linked to sugary drinks and fructose remaining even when accounting for age, alcohol consumption, body mass and high blood pressure.

Gout is a condition caused by an increase of uric acid in the bloodstream. The symptoms are swelling of joints, inflammation and acute pain in the extremities.

Uric acid is produced by the kidneys and digestive system from purines. Purines are normally found in sugar-rich food, meat and beer.

Fructose, which is cheaper than cane-sugar, is often used as a substitute for sugar and is a common ingredient in fizzy drinks.

The researchers have cautioned that gout patients who switch from purine-rich food to alleviate their gout could actually make the condition worse if they start eating large amounts of fructose.

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