Sugary drinks up gout risk in women

The incidence of gout - a painful type of inflammatory arthritis - in the US increased from 16 per 100,000 people in 1977 to 42 per 100,000 in 1996. That rise coincided with a large increase in soda and fructose consumption, the study authors noted.

Fructose-rich beverages can cause a buildup of uric acid in the blood, which leads to gout.

Women diagnosed with gout

In this study, researchers analysed data from 78,906 women who took part in the Nurses' Health Study between 1984 and 2006. The women had no history of gout at the start of the study.

Over the next 22 years, 778 of the women were diagnosed with gout. Compared with women who consumed less than one serving of sugar-sweetened soda per month, those who consumed one serving per day were 74% more likely to develop gout and those who consumed two or more servings per day had a 2.4 times higher risk.

In addition, the investigators found that compared with women who consumed less than a glass (6 oz.) of orange juice per month, those who consumed one serving per day were 41% more likely to develop gout, and those who consumed two or more servings per day had a 2.4 times greater risk.

The study also found that women in the highest quintile (fifth) of fructose intake were 62% more likely to develop gout than those in the lowest quintile.

Fizzy drinks effect gout

Doctors should be aware of the potential effect that fructose-rich beverages have on gout risk, said Dr. Hyon K. Choi, of Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

The study, was released in the Journal of the American Medical.

(Copyright © 2010 HealthDay. All rights reserved.)

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