| Definition |
High uric acid level, often known as hyperuricemia, is an excess of uric acid in your blood. Purines, which may be present in some meals and are also created by your body, are broken down during the production of uric acid. The majority of the uric acid that is generated is filtered out into the urine by the kidneys before being transported in the blood and passing through the kidneys. One in five persons have elevated uric acid levels. It could be connected to kidney stone formation or gout episodes. The majority of individuals with high uric acid levels, however, don't have any symptoms or associated issues.
Urinary waste, or uric acid, is present in blood. It is created when the body breaks down purine-containing materials. The majority of uric acid dissolves in the Blood contains the waste substance uric acid. It is produced through the body's breakdown of substances known as purines. The majority of uric acid is dissolved in the blood, travels via the kidneys, and is excreted in urine. Uric acid levels are raised by purine-rich foods and beverages. These consist of:
Seafood (particularly salmon, shrimp, lobster and sardines) (especially salmon, shrimp, lobster and sardines)
Organ red meats, such as liver
Alcohol and foods containing high fructose corn syrup (especially beer, including non-alcoholic beer)
A disease known as hyperuricemia will develop if there is an excessive amount of uric acid in the body. Urate (or uric acid) crystals may occur as a result of hyperuricemia. These crystals can accumulate in the joints and lead to gout, a painful type of arthritis. They may also become lodged there and develop kidney stones. High uric acid levels can potentially cause irreversible bone, joint, and tissue damage as well as renal and heart problems if left untreated. Additionally, studies have linked elevated uric acid levels to fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
| Causes |
Food and beverages high in purine make up one-third of the uric acid in the human body. The body spontaneously produces the remaining two-thirds. It is crucial to understand the causes of having too much of this acid, therefore.
1.Refined sugar
Refined sugar consumption may have a negative impact on cardiovascular risk through changing the blood lipid profile, specifically by elevating triacylglycerol concentrations. Furthermore, excessive fructose consumption raises systemic blood pressure, according to animal research. Blood pressure and sugar-containing beverage consumption have been linked in ways that are beneficial in US national health surveys. Consuming excessive amounts of sugar-rich foods like sweets, refined sugar, sweet pastries, sugary beverages, processed fruit juices, or chocolates might also contribute to this issue. According to research from the University of San Sebastian in Chile, eating a lot of meals high in fructose and sucrose can also raise your uric acid levels. The best course of action is to stay away from them. Try to maintain a fruit and vegetable-based diet.
2.Diets High in Purines
One of the most prevalent chemical substances on the globe is purine. Endogenous and exogenous purines are the two types. Endogenous purines are produced by the body directly, whereas exogenous purines are absorbed by the body through the foods you ingest.Foods heavy in fructose and purines, such as meat, shellfish, and soybeans, raise uric acid levels.The impact of consuming purine-rich foods including beef liver, haddock fillets, and soybean was examined in a crossover research. The results demonstrated that all of the test meals raised uric acid levels in the blood when consumed.
Studies have shown that the risk of gout rises by 21% for every additional serving of meat consumed daily.Uric acid levels are swiftly increased by fructose.The formation of inosine and purines is increased by a high dietary consumption of fructose in meals and beverages.When purines are broken down in the digestive tract, uric acid is produced. Consuming too many purines might result in the body accumulating uric acid. Over time, uric acid can precipitate in the body and pose a range of health problems. Because of this, it's crucial to limit your purine intake.
3.Obesity or being overweight
According to a research by the Mariana Grajales Coello Medical University in Cuba, weight affects the likelihood of getting gout, a condition where uric acid builds up and crystallizes in the joints. This is true because obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes cause the body to produce more uric acid and make it harder for the body to digest and eliminate it.
A population-based study revealed that obesity is linked to a higher incidence of hyperuricemia (elevated uric acid). Blood uric acid levels are correlated with leptin levels, and your body creates more uric acid if you are overweight. Because leptin resistance causes greater leptin levels in obese people, elevated leptin may be related to the development of hyperuricemia in obesity.
4.Alcohol intake
Alcohol-related illnesses were shown to be strongly connected with gout risk in a population-based investigation. Additionally, people with significant alcohol use were more likely to develop gout. Alcohol may increase the formation of lactic acid, which consequently decreases the kidneys' ability to excrete uric acid. Additionally, alcohol speeds up the purine breakdown, which results in more uric acid being produced.
5.Vitamin D deficiency
In a study of 1.7k postmenopausal women over 30, those with low levels of vitamin D were more likely to have higher uric acid levels. Genetic research raises the possibility of a connection between low vitamin D levels and high uric acid levels, but further research is needed to prove this.
The study was conducted to determine potential causal associations between 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and uric acid (UA). A cross-sectional study of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT3) cohort was conducted. Subjects (n = 2,288) were used to genotype the group-specific component (GC) at rs2282679 and ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) at rs2231142. Mediation analysis with 1000-replication bootstrap was applied to construct causal pathways i.e., rs2282679 → 25(OH)D → UA and rs2231142 → UA → 25(OH)D: The mediator (i.e., 25(OH)D and UA) was firstly regressed on the studied gene (i.e., rs2282679 and rs2231142). A potential causal effect of C allele on UA through 25(OH)D was −0.0236 (95% CI: −0.0411, −0.0058), indicating every minor C allele resulted in decreasing the 25(OH)D and then significantly decreased the UA by 0.0236 unit. For the second pathway, the mediation effect was 0.0806 (95% CI: 0.0107, 0.1628); every T allele copy for rs2231142 increased UA and thus increased 25(OH)D by 0.0806 unit.
In prediabetic individuals with hyperuricaemia, vitamin D intake reduces blood uric acid levels; hence, supplementation may be explored to aid these patients with their hyperuricaemia. Hyperuricemia is linked to vitamin D insufficiency, a serious global public health concern, however the causal link is debatable.
| Symptoms |
A high uric acid level might happen when your kidneys don't remove uric acid effectively. Uric acid is a waste product created in the body that is mostly eliminated by the kidneys through urine. People who consume meals high in uric acid, drink excessively, are overweight, have diabetes, take certain drugs like diuretics, or have defective kidneys may exhibit this. A person with high uric acid may not necessarily feel symptoms. However, individuals with co-occurring severe medical illnesses or persistent blood uric acid spikes may have symptoms. Over time, elevated blood uric acid levels gradually accumulate in the tissues, leading to health complications.
Sometimes, health issues occur suddenly in the body, which includes:
Gout (inflammation of a joint) is characterized as:Intense joint pain, especially in the first 12 to 24 hours
Pain in the joints that lasts a few days to a few weeks and extends to other joints over time
Redness, soreness, and swelling around the joint
Reduced range of motion
Formation of kidney stones; symptoms include:Back pain
Pain in and around the flank
Increased urination
Nausea and vomiting
Changes in urine:Cloudiness
Presence of blood
Unusual smell
Fever and chills
| Treatments |
If hyperuricemia is identified, your doctor will probably suggest dietary modifications and/or prescribe drugs, either to address the underlying condition that may be causing the elevated uric acid levels or to directly control the body's metabolism.
Diet: Consuming a diet high in purines might lead to high uric acid levels. Therefore, cutting less on these meals might lessen the symptoms of excessive uric acid. Meals high in protein and alkaloids, as well as fried foods and white sugar, should be avoided. It's interesting to note that diet-unrelated increased uric acid levels may also benefit from dietary adjustments. In fact, consuming fruits like strawberries and consuming black cherry juice may assist to reduce uric acid levels.The best course of treatment is to focus on purine metabolism if the underlying illness is incurable and there is a persistent rise of uric acid levels.
Hyperuricemia is typically discovered through testing to identify another illness. In order to further understand your illness and establish a diagnosis, your doctor could recommend additional testing if elevated uric acid levels are discovered. Your doctor will be better able to design the most effective treatment plan if they have a better grasp of the underlying issues that could be causing your increased uric acid levels. It's crucial to keep in mind that you shouldn't stop taking your existing drugs without first talking to your doctor, even if you think they could be causing your high uric acid levels.