Fructose poses gout risks even in women

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By Janet Raloff Web edition : Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Women don’t develop gout — an arthritic condition prone to excruciatingly painful flare-ups — at nearly the same rate as men. But as in men, its incidence has been creeping up in women, according to a new report. Also as in men, a second new report finds, fructose-sweetened beverages appear to pose a particularly potent gout risk for women.

Potentially aggravating this trend: New data indicate that sweetened soft drinks appear to be a richer source of fructose than had been assumed.

The new data signal a dietary trend that can trigger pain and can potentially cripple joints — but is avoidable, says Martin Underwood of the University of Warwick Medical School in Coventry, England, who is unaffiliated with the new studies. Moreover, he adds, gout’s growing incidence potentially points to an even bigger threat because studies have begun to point to gout as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Gout develops when the blood becomes saturated with uric acid, a breakdown product of purines, which are a constituent of many foods, especially red and organ meats. When uric acid precipitates out into the joints and crystallizes, intense pain develops. Researchers consider severely elevated uric acid levels in blood, or hyperuricemia, a silent indicator of gout.

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http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/65355/title/Fructose_poses_gout_risks_even_in_women