High uric acid is nothing new these days. According to the Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperuricemia-related Diseases in China (2023 Edition), the prevalence of hyperuricemia is increasing year by year, and it has become the second most common metabolic disease after diabetes. ①
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Most people know that hyperuricemia is a disease that "comes from the mouth", and the internal organs, seafood, and ...... In particular, do not eat foods high in purines. But can you sit back and relax? The answer is no! There are many habits in life that secretly raise uric acid, and you may not have noticed.
6 lifestyle habits can increase uric acid
Many people think that high uric acid is due to eating too many "high-purine foods", but in fact, this exogenous intake accounts for only 20% of the total uric acid, and the remaining 80% is caused by endogenous metabolic disorders (2). For example, genetics, obesity, diseases and poor lifestyle can all lead to problems with endogenous uric acid metabolism.
Picture from Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital (2)
In addition to consuming a high-purine diet, 6 habits in life are helping to increase uric acid:
1. Eating yourself too fat
A study based on the Continental National Health Survey (CNHS) published in the journal Obesity Facts in 2021 showed that among the Han people aged 20-80 in the mainland, 20.6% and 18.1% of male and female hyperuricemia patients were due to overweight or obesity, respectively, and 12.8% of male patients were caused by alcohol consumption. ③④
Han Guangming, chief physician of the Department of Rheumatology of Dongguan People's Hospital, said in an article published on the hospital's official account in 2023 that elevated uric acid is also related to weight changes. The study found that the mean serum uric acid concentration in overweight or obese adults was significantly higher than that in normal-weight adults. ⑤
2. Have a daily drinking habit
Zhi Jiehua, deputy chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology of the First People's Hospital of Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, published an article in the People's Daily Health Account in 2021 that some people think it is safe when they see the low purine content of wine. In fact, the effect of alcohol on uric acid has nothing to do with the level of purines, it can interfere with uric acid concentration through metabolism, and the more alcohol in the body, the more residual uric acid. ⑥
In addition, the "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Hyperuricemia and Gout (2024 Edition)" points out that rice wine usually has a higher purine content, followed by beer. Although the purine content of liquor is low, the alcohol content of liquor is high, which is easy to accumulate lactic acid in the body and inhibit uric acid excretion. ⑦
Jin Jiali/photo
3. Likes to drink sugary drinks
Gu Bingjie, attending physician of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the First Hospital of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, reminded in an article in Health Times in 2023 that fructose is the "invisible killer" of gout. Some gout patients do not have the habit of drinking alcohol and eating seafood, but a seemingly inconspicuous preference is the main reason for them to suffer from gout - they do not like to drink plain water, and the juice hardly leaves their mouths.
All kinds of cola, fruit juices, and energy drinks on the market are rich in fructose, although the purine content is very low. The breakdown process of fructose in the body will directly produce uric acid, which is equivalent to increasing the source of endogenous uric acid. Compared with sucrose, glucose, etc., fructose also inhibits the excretion of uric acid by the kidneys, and the combination of the two can lead to an exponential increase in the concentration of uric acid in the body. ⑧
4. Frequent sleep deprivation
Researchers from the Department of Nephrology at Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University surveyed 8,289 adults in 9 provinces and cities along the eastern coast of the mainland.
Sleeping 5-6 hours a day was the sleep-deprived group;
Sleeping 7-8 hours a day was the normal sleep group;
Sleeping 9-10 hours a day was the oversleep group.
The results showed that 1 in 5 people in the sleep-deprived group had hyperuricemia, with a prevalence of 19.8%, which was significantly higher than that of the normal sleep group and the hypersleep group.
Reduced sleep time can raise blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids by affecting the neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous systems. These factors can also cause increased uric acid production, which can increase uric acid in the blood, resulting in hyperuricemia. Whether you stay up late and eat supper or not, it will cause uric acid to increase. ⑨⑩
Health Times Chart
5. Not fond of sports in life
Xu Linghan and Zhang Xiaoyan from the Department of Nephrology of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University published an article introducing that sitting for a long time and reducing daily exercise will also lead to an increase in blood uric acid. Studies have found that during aerobic exercise, blood uric acid levels initially increase due to the temporary accumulation of energy-rich purine phosphate, but then blood uric acid decreases as exercise is depleted, eventually reaching lower levels than before exercise. ⑪
6. The effects of daily medication
If you take drugs that affect kidney function or prevent uric acid excretion for a long time, it may increase uric acid levels in the body and even induce gout. According to Hangzhou Daily, Ying Zhenhua, director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, sorted out the common drugs that cause gout:
(1) Some Chinese herbal medicines, such as traditional Chinese medicines containing aristolochic acid, may have an impact on kidney function and uric acid excretion function, so gout patients should use them with caution;
(2) antihypertensive drugs containing diuretic inhibitors, which can reduce the ability of the kidneys to excrete uric acid, causing uric acid to rise;
(3) There are also some vasodilators, which can reduce renal blood flow and uric acid excretion;
(4) There are also some immunizers and antibiotics, which should also be paid special attention to. ⑫
Health Times Chart
Prevent uric acid from exceeding the standard, so keep your mouth shut!
To prevent excessive uric acid, in addition to limiting the intake of high-purine foods, we should also pay attention to these things to avoid "getting sick from the mouth":
1. Hydrate
Drink plenty of water, preferably plain water, lemonade and soda.
However, excessive consumption of strong tea, strong coffee, etc., avoid drinking raw and cold drinks, and avoid drinking fructose drinks or sugary soft drinks such as cola, orange juice, and apple juice. ⑬
2. Quit smoking and limit alcohol
Limit alcohol intake and avoid beer, rice wine and spirits. Quit smoking and avoid passive smoking (secondhand smoke/thirdhand smoke). ⑬
3. Eat a healthy diet
Source: Health Times WeChat public account (ID: jksb2013)
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