Coffee and Gout, Again

Only a week ago I reported on the ability of coffee to prevent development of gout. The study, using data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, was in 46,000 men. And lots of women must have asked: “What about us?” Well, the same investigators (Drs Choi and Curhan) analyzed the serum uric acid levels in 14,750 men and women in different coffee-drinking groups. The average age was 45, the average uric acid was 5.3 mg/dL, and 18% of them had hyperuricemia (uric acid too high – over 7.0 mg/dL in men, over 5.7 mg/dL in women). This was published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Intake of 4-5 cups of coffee daily was associated with a 0.26 mg/dL lower serum uric acid level, compared with no coffee intake. Six or more cups a day was associated with a 0.43 mg/dL lower uric acid. Decaffeinated coffee gave similar results. So the findings are similar to those from the NHANES reported earlier. And so are the warnings about too much coffee, etc, except that they apply to women, too.