DASH Diet Decreases Serum Uric Acid in Prehypertension

HealthDay News — Among adults with prehypertension or stage I hypertension, following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet lowers serum uric acid, according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Stephen P. Juraschek, MD, PhD, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted an ancillary study of a randomized crossover feeding trial in 103 adults with prehypertension or stage I hypertension. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the DASH diet or a control diet that was typical of an average American diet. They were further fed low, medium, and high levels of sodium for 30 days. At baseline and following each feeding period, serum uric acid level was measured.

The researchers found that serum uric acid was reduced with the DASH diet (−0.35 mg/dL), with a higher effect for those with a baseline serum uric aid level of ≥7 mg/dL (−1.29 mg/dL). Increasing sodium intake from the low level correlated with a reduction in serum uric acid during the medium and the high sodium intake periods (−0.3 and −0.4 mg/dL, respectively; both P <.001).

“The DASH diet lowered serum uric acid, and this effect was greater among participants with hyperuricemia,” the researchers wrote. “Moreover, we found that higher sodium intake decreased serum uric acid, which enhances our knowledge of urate pathophysiology and risk factors for hyperuricemia.”

Disclosures: Several food companies donated food, and a food storage company provided food storage.

Reference

1. Juraschek SP, Gelber AC, Choi HK, Appel LJ. Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet and dodium intake on serum uric acid. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016 Nov 28. doi:10.1002/art.39813.