Beer, liquor, and wine consumption and serum uric acid level: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional analysis of survey data (NHANES III)
PubMed 15593346 · doi:10.1002/art.20821
What was done
The authors analyzed cross-sectional data from 14,809 participants (6,932 men and 7,877 women, aged 20 years or older) in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994). Intake of beer, liquor, and wine was assessed via a food frequency questionnaire and evaluated against serum uric acid levels, adjusting for age, dietary risk factors, mutual intake of other alcoholic beverages, and other covariates for hyperuricemia.
What was found
Serum uric acid levels increased with higher intake of beer and liquor, but not wine. In fully adjusted multivariate models, each additional serving per day was associated with a serum uric acid difference of 0.46 mg/dL (95% CI, 0.32 to 0.60; P for trend < 0.01) for beer and 0.29 mg/dL (95% CI, 0.14 to 0.45; P for trend < 0.01) for liquor. Wine consumption was not significantly associated with uric acid levels (0.04 mg/dL per serving per day; 95% CI, -0.20 to 0.11; P for trend = 0.6).
Why it matters
This study indicates that the relationship between alcohol intake and serum uric acid varies substantially by beverage type, with beer conferring a larger increase than liquor, and wine showing no significant association.
Limits
The analysis is cross-sectional and cannot establish causality. Dietary and alcohol consumption data relied entirely on self-report via a food frequency questionnaire, which is subject to recall and reporting biases.
Cited by
- supports Among all types of alcohol, beer raises uric acid levels the most and is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome.