DASH Diet Effective for Hypertension and Gout

Recently presented data suggest a specific diet with emphasis on fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and reduced saturated and total fat may help lower serum uric acid levels and reduce hypertension in individuals at risk for gout. Researchers studied the effects of the following three diets in 327 participants with stage 1 hypertension: the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and reduced overall fats; a diet rich in fruits and vegetables; and a control diet considered by researchers as reflective of an average American diet. Patients had a mean age of 44 years and a mean BMI of 28.1 kg/m2. Overall, 53% of participants were men. Body weight and sodium intake remained unchanged to isolate the effect of the respective diet. Investigators measured serum uric acid (SUA) levels at baseline and at 8 weeks. The mean baseline SUA was 5.7 mg/dL. The rate of patient adherence to their respective diets was greater than 93% with a dropout rate of less than 4% during the 8-week period. The DASH diet reduced SUA by 0.24 mg/dL more than the control diet overall. An analysis of the 75 patients with hyperuricemia at baseline showed the DASH diet had an overall greater reduction in SUA levels of 0.59 mg/dl compared with the control diet and by 0.46 mg/dL compared with the fruit and vegetable diet. Investigators found an overall reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in participants on the DASH diet. Among patients with hyperuricemia, those on the DASH diet showed a 5 mm Hg reduction in systolic pressure and a 3.3 mm Hg reduction in diastolic pressure compared with the control diet. “Our findings suggest that the DASH diet can reduce SUA and blood pressure in high risk groups for gout,” the researchers wrote. “This diet offers an additional nutritional approach to preventing (and potentially treating) hyperuricemia and gout, as well as hypertension (a comorbidity present in 74% of gout patients).” - by Shirley Pulawski