According to research from Yokose et al. presented at ACR Convergence 2021, regardless of genetic predisposition, diet influences a person’s risk of developing gout.1
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Several recent analyses of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study report a disproportionate worsening of gout burden among women, suggesting intensive dietary measures for gout prevention are indicated, especially in women. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet lowers serum urate and is associated with a lower risk of incident gout, while the Western diet is associated with an increased risk. However, whether the dietary impact is affected by genetic risk remains unknown.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the DASH diet includes foods rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber and protein, but low in sodium.
However, “current lifestyle trends [may] emphasize the importance of eating healthy, [but] we continue to see foods high in fat and sugar as major components of the Western diet,” according to a study in Missouri Medicine.2
Yokose et al. investigated the potential interaction between genetic predisposition and diet on the risk of incident gout among 18,247 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) over 34 years. The researchers identified 481 incident cases of self-reported gout among women without a genetic predisposition and 859 incident cases among women with a genetic predisposition in NHS. Regardless of genetic predisposition, the DASH diet was associated with a lower risk of incident gout and the Western diet was associated with higher risk.
Reference
- Yokose C, McCormick N, Lu N, et al. Does diet affect gout risk differently among genetically predisposed women? Prospective female cohort study findings over 34 years [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021;73(suppl 10).
- Rakhra V, Galappaththy SL, Bulchandani S, Cabandugama PK. Obesity and the Western Diet: How we got here. Mo Med. 2020 Nov-Dec;117(6):536–538.