Dietary factors are associated with serum uric acid trajectory differentially by race among urban adults

Serum uric acid (SUA), a causative agent for gout, is linked to dietary factors, perhaps differentially by race. Cross-sectional (SUA base , i.e. baseline SUA) and longitudinal (SUA rate ; i.e. annual rate of change in SUA) associations of SUA with diet were evaluated across race and sex–race groups, in a large prospective cohort study of urban adults. Of 3720 African American (AA) and White urban adults participating in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study, longitudinal data (2004–2013, k =1·7 repeats, follow-up, 4·64 ( sd 0·93) years) on n 2138 participants were used. The main outcome consisted of up to two repeated measures on SUA. Exposures included the dietary factors such as ‘added sugar’, ‘alcoholic beverages’, ‘red meat’, ‘total fish’, ‘legumes’, ‘total dairy product’, ‘caffeine’, ‘vitamin C’ and a composite measure termed ‘dietary urate index’. Mixed-effects linear regression models were conducted, stratifying by race and by race×sex. A positive association between legume intake and SUA rate was restricted to AA, whereas alcohol intake was positively associated with SUA base overall without racial differences. Added sugars were directly related to SUA base among White men ( P rate among AA women, unlike among White women. Nevertheless, dairy product intake was associated with a lower SUA base among Whites. Finally, the dietary urate index was positively associated with both SUA base and SUA rate , particularly among AA. In sum, race and sex interactions with dietary intakes of added sugars, dairy products and legumes were detected in determining SUA. Similar studies are needed to replicate these findings.