Serum Uric Acid Levels are Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Healthy Young and Middle-Aged Adults

Abstract

BackgroundObservational studies have highlighted an association between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and cardiovascular risk factors. Despite the growing body of evidences, several studies were conducted in older individuals or in carriers of diseases susceptible to affect SUA levels and cardiometabolic risk markers.ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship of SUA with body adiposity, metabolic profile, oxidative stress, inflammatory biomarkers, blood pressure and endothelial function in healthy young and middle-aged adults.Methods149 Brazilian adults aged 20-55 years, both sexes, underwent evaluation of body adiposity, SUA, fasting glucose and insulin, lipid profile, malondialdehyde (MDA), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), adiponectin, blood pressure and endothelial function. Endothelial function was assessed by the reactive hyperemia index (RHI) derived from peripheral arterial tonometry method. Participants were allocated in two groups according to SUA levels: control group (CG; n = 130; men ≤ 7 mg/dL, women ≤ 6 mg/dL) and hyperuricemia group (HG; n = 19; men > 7 mg/dL, women > 6 mg/dL). A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsAfter adjustment for confounders, participants in HG compared with those in CG displayed higher body mass index (BMI): 34.15(33.36-37.19) vs.31.80 (26.26-34.42) kg/m2,p = 0.008, higher MDA: 4.67(4.03-5.30) vs. 3.53(3.10-4.07) ng/mL, p < 0.0001 and lower RHI: 1.68 ± 0.30 vs. 2.05 ± 0.46, p = 0.03). In correlation analysis adjusted for confounders, SUA was positively associated (p < 0.05) with BMI, waist circumference, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and MDA, and negatively associated (p < 0.05) with HDL-cholesterol, adiponectin and RHI.ConclusionsThis study suggests that in healthy young and middle-aged adults higher SUA levels are associated with higher body adiposity, unfavorable lipid and inflammatory phenotype, higher oxidative stress and impaired endothelial function.

Evaluation of Vascular Endothelial Function in Young and Middle-Aged Women with Respect to a History of Pregnancy, Pregnancy-Related Complications, Classical Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Epigenetics

“…However, limited data concerning the association between classical cardiovascular risk factors and vascular endothelial function are available entirely in the group of healthy young and middle-aged women. Ferreira et al [74] described negative correlation between RHI values and serum uric acid in healthy Brazilian young and middle-aged adults (age 20-55 years). Although the studied group involved both sexes, these data may be in compliance with our data obtained in the group of young and middle-aged women with a history of complicated and uncomplicated pregnancy, where a trend toward impaired endothelial function (lower RHI levels) was observed in patients with increased serum levels of uric acid (ρ = −0.111, p = 0.072).…”

Randomized, Open-Label, Cross-Over Comparison of the Effects of Benzbromarone and Febuxostat on Endothelial Function in Patients with Hyperuricemia

“…Several studies have investigated associations between uric acid and adiponectin. Ferreira, et al reported that serum uric acid and adiponectin levels negatively correlate; 30) meanwhile, Park, et al found an inverse relationship between these levels in 841 postmenopausal women aged !50 years. 31) The mechanisms responsible for this relationship might be that uric acid uptake by adipocytes induces oxidative stress, generates inflammatory mediators, and inhibits adiponectin synthesis, 32) resulting in endothelial dysfunction by reducing nitric oxide bioavailability.…”

Study of Relationship of Elevated Serum Uric Acid Level and Metabolic Syndrome

“…[7][8][9][10][11][12] UA has been found to be associated with serum triglycerides in a number of studies on healthy participants. 13 And in those studies, it has been observed that SUA also had association with hypertension, insulin resistance, and so on and there is a clustering of risk factors as SUA increases, suggesting probably the emergence of MetS. In a small number of studies, however, there has been an association additionally with LDL-cholesterol and a negative association with HDL-cholesterol.…”