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. 2019 Aug;43(4):504-520.
doi: 10.4093/dmj.2018.0079. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

The Protective Effects of Increasing Serum Uric Acid Level on Development of Metabolic Syndrome

Tae Yang Yu  1   2 , Sang Man Jin  3 , Jae Hwan Jee  4 , Ji Cheol Bae  5 , Moon Kyu Lee  3 , Jae Hyeon Kim  3   6   7
Affiliations

The Protective Effects of Increasing Serum Uric Acid Level on Development of Metabolic Syndrome

Tae Yang Yu et al. Diabetes Metab J. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Background: It has not been determined whether changes in serum uric acid (SUA) level are associated with incident metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between changes in SUA level and development of MetS in a large number of subjects.

Methods: In total, 13,057 subjects participating in a medical health check-up program without a diagnosis of MetS at baseline were enrolled. Cox proportional hazards models were used to test the independent association of percent changes in SUA level with development of MetS.

Results: After adjustment for age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, fat-free mass (%), estimated glomerular filtration rate, smoking status, fasting glucose, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and baseline SUA levels, the hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for incident MetS in the second, third, and fourth quartiles compared to the first quartile of percent change in SUA level were 1.055 (0.936 to 1.190), 0.927 (0.818 to 1.050), and 0.807 (0.707 to 0.922) in male (P for trend <0.001) and 1.000 (0.843 to 1.186), 0.744 (0.615 to 0.900), and 0.684 (0.557 to 0.840) in female (P for trend <0.001), respectively. As a continuous variable in the fully-adjusted model, each one-standard deviation increase in percent change in SUA level was associated with an HR (95% CI) for incident MetS of 0.944 (0.906 to 0.982) in male (P=0.005) and 0.851 (0.801 to 0.905) in female (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that increasing SUA level independently protected against the development of MetS, suggesting a possible role of SUA as an antioxidant in the pathogenesis of incident MetS.

Keywords: Longitudinal studies; Metabolic syndrome; Uric acid.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Selection of study participants. MetS, metabolic syndrome; CVD, cardiovascular disease; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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