Fructose-rich beverages and risk of gout in women

Abstract

Context: 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. Objective: To examine the relationship between intake of fructose-rich beverages and fructose and the risk of incident gout among women. Design, Setting, and Participants: In the Nurses' Health Study, a US prospective cohort study spanning 22 years (1984-2006), we analyzed data from 78 906 women with no history of gout at baseline who provided information on intake of beverages and fructose through validated food frequency questionnaires. Main Outcome Measure: Incident cases that met the American College of Rheumatology survey criteria for gout. Results: During 22 years of follow-up, we documented 778 confirmed incident cases of gout. Increasing intake of sugar-sweetened soda was independently associated with increasing risk of gout. Compared with consumption of less than 1 serving per month of sugar-sweetened soda, the multivariate relative risk of gout for 1 serving per day was 1.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-2.55) and for 2 or more servings per day was 2.39 (95% CI, 1.34-4.26) (P