The frequency of gout a common and painful inflammatory arthritis, seems to have intensified in recent years. A latest study asserts that intake of fructose-rich beverages including sugar-sweetened sodas and orange juice increase risk of gout among women. It was observed that chances of gout were modest probably due to the low incidence rate among women.
The association between consumption of fructose-rich beverages and fructose as well as incidence of gout was evaluated. Authors assessed data from the Nurses’ Health Study, a U.S. prospective cohort study. It information dated 22 years from 1984-2006 about 78,906 women with no history of gout at the beginning of the study. Participants revealed information on intake of beverages and fructose through validated food frequency questionnaires. In the follow-up of 22 years, 778 newly diagnosed cases were documented. Intake of sugar-sweetened soda was supposedly related with elevating risk of gout.
Experts add, “The increasing disease burden of gout in the United States over the last few decades (e.g., an annual incidence of 16/100,000 in 1977 vs. 42/100,000 in 1996) coincided with a substantial increase in soft drink and fructose consumption. Fructose-rich beverages such as sugar-sweetened soda and orange juice can increase serum uric acid levels and, thus, the risk of gout, but prospective data on the relationship are limited.”
Hyon K. Choi, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues compared intake of fructose with consumption of less than 1 serving per month. Women consuming one serving every day seemingly had a 74 percent heightened threat of gout. On the other hand, those with 2 or more servings per day possibly had a 2.4 times higher risk. It was mentioned that diet soft drinks are not associated with the risk of gout. Women drinking a glass of orange juice per day apparently had 41 percent higher risk of gout and those with 2 or more servings each day reported a 2.4 times higher risk. Scientists observed that while women in the lowest quintile (fifth) had free fructose intake, those in the highest quintile registered a 62 percent higher risk of gout. The relative risks of gout associated with fructose-rich beverages among women were probably substantial. The corresponding absolute risk differences may be modest because of low gout incidence rate in women.
The study will be published in the November 24 print edition of JAMA and appears online.