CLOSE CORRELATION BETWEEN VISCERAL FAT ACCUMULATION AND URIC-ACID METABOLISM IN HEALTHY-MEN

We evaluated the effect of accumulation of intraabdominal visceral fat on the metabolism of uric acid in 50 healthy male subjects to elucida te any relationship between such obesity and hyperuricemia. The area o f abdominal fat (visceral fat and subcutaneous fat) was measured at th e level of the umbilicus by abdominal computed tomographic scanning, S erum and urinary concentrations of uric acid and creatinine were deter mined with an autoanalyzer, Uric acid clearance and the ratio of urina ry uric acid to creatinine excreted in urine were calculated. Univaria te and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the relationship be tween uric acid metabolism and body fat. The size of the area of visce ral fat was significantly correlated with the serum concentration of u ric acid (r = .37, P < .01), uric acid clearance (r = -.34, P < .05), and the urinary uric acid to creatinine ratio (r = .65, P < .0001). Th e size of the area of subcutaneous fat was significantly correlated on ly with the urinary uric acid to creatinine ratio (r = .38, P <.01). M ultivariate analyses, including body mass index (BMI), showed that the size of the visceral fat area was the strongest contributor to an ele vated serum concentration of uric acid, a decrease in uric acid cleara nce, and an increase in the urinary uric acid to creatinine ratio, The se results suggest that accumulation of visceral fat may have a greate r adverse effect on the metabolism of uric acid than BMI or accumulati on of subcutaneous fat. Clearly, patients with hyperuricemia should lo se weight to reduce excessive visceral fat stores, to help avoid attac ks of gout. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company.