We found that BMI was associated with an increased risk of the development of ESRD in men in the general population in Okinawa. The maintenance of optimal body weight may reduce the risk of ESRD.

Screenees with hyperuricemia were associated with a greater incidence of ESRD. Hyperuricemia (serum uric acid > or = 6.0 mg/dL [> or =357 micromol/L]) was an independent predictor of ESRD in women. Strategies to control serum uric acid levels in the normal range may reduce the population burden of ESRD.

No abstract

The relation between serum uric acid level and cardiovascular risk factors is complex and has been investigated mainly in men. We examined the correlation between serum uric acid level and obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus (DM) in both men and women of a screened cohort in Okinawa, Japan. A total of 9,914 individuals (6,163 men and 3,751 women ranging in age from 18 to 89 years) who were screened at Okinawa General Health Maintenance Association were subjects in this study. Hyperuricemia tality in individuals with ischemic heart disease (7), the specific role of serum uric acid in relation to cardiovascular disease remains unclear.The association between serum uric acid and other cardiovascular risk factors complicates the issue. Increased serum uric acid levels are often accompanied by obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension (8-11), all of which are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In Japan, there are reports suggesting a significant correlation between increased serum uric acid level and cardiovascular risk factors in large members of men, but not women (12). Okada et al. (13) showed a significant correlation between serum uric acid and cardiovascular risk factors, but the number of indi-

No abstract

Several epidemiological studies have shown a positive association between serum uric acid levels and the risk of hypertension. However, subjects in these studies were mostly men, or were incompletely examined for lifestyle-related variables. We prospectively examined the relation between hyperuricemia and the risk of sociations between the serum uric acid levels and the risk of development of hypertension (5-10). Selby et al. (5) indicated that serum uric acid was closely linked to the development of hypertension and that it might be a marker of susceptibility or an intermediate step in the pathway leading to hypertension. In the Olivetti heart study (6), serum uric acid levels were positively associated with increased risk of hypertension, but analyses were adjusted only for age, body mass index (BMI), serum total cholesterol, and serum triglyceride. Control for confounders such as lifestyle factors was incomplete.In Japan, Nakanishi et al. (7) reported that the risk for development of hypertension over a 6-year period increased progressively as serum uric acid levels increased, even after

Objective:The DahlS.Z-Leprfa/Leprfa (DS/obese) rat strain was established from a cross between Dahl salt-sensitive rats and Zucker fatty (fa/fa) rats, the latter of which harbor a missense mutation in the leptin receptor gene (Lepr). We examined whether DS/obese rats might be a suitable animal model of metabolic syndrome in humans.Methods:The systemic pathophysiological and metabolic characteristics of DS/obese rats were determined and compared with those of homozygous lean littermates, namely, DahlS.Z-Lepr+/Lepr+ (DS/lean) rats.Results:Systolic blood pressure was higher in DS/obese rats fed a normal diet than in DS/lean rats at 11 weeks of age and thereafter. The survival rate of DS/obese rats was significantly lower than that of DS/lean rats at 18 weeks. Body weight, visceral and subcutaneous fat mass, as well as heart, kidney and liver weights, were increased in DS/obese rats at 18 weeks compared with DS/lean rats. Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, triglyceride and insulin concentrations, as well as the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels, were increased in DS/obese rats, whereas serum glucose concentration did not differ significantly between DS/obese and DS/lean rats. Creatinine clearance was decreased and urinary protein content was increased in DS/obese rats, which also manifested lipid accumulation in the liver and elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase levels.Conclusion:These results show that the phenotype of DS/obese rats is similar to that of humans with metabolic syndrome, and that these animals may thus be an appropriate model for this condition.

The aim of this study was to determine whether hyperuricemia could predict future metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a large screened cohort of Japanese male and female subjects. We evaluated 5936 subjects (3144 male subjects, 2792 female subjects; mean age 48.7 years) who underwent health checkup programs in 2006 and 2010, who were MetS free in 2006. At baseline, hyperuricemia was detected in 927 male subjects (29.5%) and 276 female subjects (9.9%). Subjects with baseline hyperuricemia had significantly higher MetS prevalence in 2010 than those without (male subjects: 34.8 vs. 20.6%, P<0.0001; female subjects: 15.6 vs. 4.8%, P<0.0001). Compared with subjects in the first quintile of uric acid levels at baseline, the age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for MetS cumulative incidence among subjects in the third, fourth and fifth quintiles were, 1.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4-2.4: P<0.0001), 2.1 (95% CI: 1.6-2.8: P<0.0001) and 3.2 (95% CI: 2.4-4.1: P<0.0001), respectively, for male subjects and 2.4 (95% CI: 1.3-4.7: P=0.0075), 3.0 (95% CI: 1.6-5.7: P=0.0010) and 4.8 (95% CI: 2.6-8.8: P<0.0001), respectively for female subjects. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that hyperuricemia was significantly associated with MetS cumulative incidence in male subjects (OR 1.5: 95% CI: 1.3-1.8, P<0.0001) and female (OR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.0, P<0.0001). In conclusion, hyperuricemia is a significant and independent predictor of MetS in Japanese male and female subjects. For both genders, MetS risk increases with increased serum uric acid levels.