Objectives: Although diet has long been assumed to be associated with hyperuricemia, the association between diet and hyperuricemia remains to be verified.
Methods: The Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) implemented between 1993 and 1996 was a nationwide survey using a stratified multistage sampling design. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), 24-hour diet recall, and blood samples were utilized. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum urate >7.7 mg/dL for men and >6.6 mg/dL for women.
Results: In total, 2176 adults, 987 (45%) men and 1189 (55%) women, were recruited. Mean serum urate was 6.81 +/- 1.66 mg/dL (range, 2.5-16.8 mg/dL) and 5.47 +/- 1.55 mg/dL (range, 1.4-11.5 mg/dL) for men and women, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that beer consumption in both the FFQ and the 24-hour diet recall were significantly associated with hyperuricemia in men after adjusting for age, total caloric intake, body mass index, and geographic area. In FFQ, the adjusted odds ratio was 1.49 for men who imbibed 0.1 to 11.6 g ethanol (<1 standard drink) daily and 1.56 for men who imbibed > or =11.7 g ethanol (> or =1 standard drink) daily, when compared with that for men who did not drink beer (P = 0.035). In the 24-hour diet recall, the adjusted odds ratio for men who drank <5 cans of beer daily was 1.13, and for men who drank > or =5 cans daily was 1.28 when compared with that for men who did not drink beer (P = 0.003).
Conclusions: This cross-sectional survey demonstrated that beer intake is independently associated with increased risk of hyperuricemia in men. Restricted beer intake may help prevent hyperuricemia in the population. The finding of elevated mean serum urate levels over recent decades warrants further study.