Association between serum uric acid and obesity in Chinese adults: a 9-year longitudinal data analysis

Abstract

ObjectivesHyperuricaemia has been reported to be significantly associated with risk of obesity. However, previous studies on the association between serum uric acid (SUA) and body mass index (BMI) yielded conflicting results. The present study examined the relationship between SUA and obesity among Chinese adults.MethodsData were collected at Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital in Guangzhou City, China, between January 2010 and December 2018. Participants with ≥2 medical check-up times were included in our analyses. Physical examinations and laboratory measurement variables were obtained from the medical check-up system. The high SUA level group was classified as participants with hyperuricaemia, and obesity was defined as BMI ≥28 kg/m2. Logistic regression model was performed for data at baseline. For all participants, generalised estimation equation (GEE) model was used to assess the association between SUA and obesity, where the data were repeatedly measured over the 9-year study period. Subgroup analyses were performed by gender and age group. We calculated the cut-off values for SUA of obesity using the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) technique.ResultsA total of 15 959 participants (10 023 men and 5936 women) were included in this study, with an average age of 37.38 years (SD: 13.27) and average SUA of 367.05 μmol/L (SD: 97.97) at baseline, respectively. Finally, 1078 participants developed obesity over the 9-year period. The prevalence of obesity was approximately 14.2% for high SUA level. In logistic regression analysis at baseline, we observed a positive association between SUA and risk of obesity: OR=1.84 (95% CI: 1.77 to 1.90) for per-SD increase in SUA. Considering repeated measures over 9 year for all participants in the GEE model, the per-SD OR was 1.85 (95% CI: 1.77 to 1.91) for SUA and the increased risk of obesity were greater for men (OR=1.45) and elderly participants (OR=1.01). In subgroup analyses by gender and age, we observed significant associations between SUA and obesity with higher risk in women (OR=2.35) and young participants (OR=1.87) when compared with men (OR=1.70) and elderly participants (OR=1.48). The SUA cut-off points for risk of obesity using ROC curves were approximately consistent with the international standard.ConclusionsOur study observed higher SUA level was associated with increased risk of obesity. More high-quality research is needed to further support these findings.

Correlation Between Serum Uric Acid and Body Fat Distribution in Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

“…Our present results found that the PCOS patients with hyperuricemia were prone to be obese, which was consistent with a previous study that a high SUA level had a significant association with the increased risk of obesity ( 29 ). After adjusting for BMI, the group of PCOS patients with hyperuricemia had significantly higher WHR, TC, and LDL-c than the non-hyperuricemia group.…”

Establishment of sex difference in circulating uric acid is associated with higher testosterone and lower sex hormone-binding globulin in adolescent boys

“…Uric acid is excreted mainly via the kidney 3 . Many factors affect circulating uric acid levels, such as age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index 4 – 7 as well as lifestyle factors including alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical activity 6 , 8 , 9 . In addition, kidney disease can impair the excretion of uric acid by the kidney and thus can increase uric acid levels in the circulation 6 , 10 .…”

Positive Association between the Triglyceride-Glucose Index and Hyperuricemia in Chinese Adults with Hypertension: An Insight from the China H-Type Hypertension Registry Study

“…Hyperuricemia can cause the saturation of the weakly water-soluble urate salt and precipitate out in the form of monosodium urate crystals, causing kidney stones and gout. In addition, hyperuricemia is also closely related to many diseases including hypertension [ 3 ], major cardiovascular and coronary events [ 4 ], type 2 diabetes [ 5 ], chronic kidney disease [ 6 ], obesity [ 7 ], and metabolic syndrome [ 8 ].…”

“…Hyperuricemia can cause the saturation of the weakly water-soluble urate salt and precipitate out in the form of monosodium urate crystals, causing kidney stones and gout. In addition, hyperuricemia is also closely related to many diseases including hypertension [3], major cardiovascular and coronary events [4], type 2 diabetes [5], chronic kidney disease [6], obesity [7], and metabolic syndrome [8]. e triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index was first reported in 2008 [9] and compared with the HOMA-IR index, indicating that the TyG index can be used as a reliable, inexpensive, and simple substitute for insulin resistance [10,11].…”