Is coffee consumption associated with a lower risk of hyperuricaemia or gout? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the associations of coffee consumption with the serum uric acid (SUA) level, hyperuricaemia (HU) and gout.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources and study eligibility criteriaA comprehensive literature search up to April 2015, using PubMed and EMBASE databases, was conducted to identify the observational researches that examined the associations of coffee consumption with the SUA level, HU and gout. The standard mean difference (SMD), OR, relative risk (RR) and their corresponding 95% CIs for the highest and the lowest categories of coffee intake were determined.ResultsA total of 11 observational studies (6 cross-sectional, 3 cohort and 2 case–control studies) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The combined SMD suggested that there was no significant difference between the highest and the lowest coffee intake categories in terms of the SUA level (SMD=−0.09, 95% CI −0.23 to 0.05; p=0.21). Meanwhile, the overall multivariable adjusted OR for HU showed no significant difference between the highest and the lowest coffee intake categories (OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.09; p=0.20). However, the overall multivariable adjusted RR for gout showed a significant inverse association between coffee consumption and the incidence of gout (RR=0.43, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.59, p<0.001).ConclusionsCurrent evidences are insufficient to validate the association between coffee consumption and a lower risk of HU. Owing to the limited number of studies, the available data show that coffee consumption may be associated with a lower risk of incident gout. Further well-designed prospective researches and randomised controlled trials are therefore needed to elaborate on these issues.

Effect of Serum Ferritin on the Association Between Coffee Intake and Hyperuricemia Among American Women: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…Our findings are similar to those of previous studies that have examined the relationship between coffee and uric acid/hyperuricemia and also between ferritin and uric acid [ 11 , 12 , 16 , 17 ]. Studies evaluating the association between coffee intake and markers of iron metabolism have been conflicting.…”

Impact of Coffee/Green Tea/Soft Drink Consumption on the Risk of Hyperuricemia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…However, their findings were inconsistent. One recent meta-analysis demonstrated a lack of evidence for an association between coffee consumption and reduced serum uric acid levels [ 17 ]. Nevertheless, a previous study has reported on the protective effect of coffee consumption against hyperuricemia risk [ 32 ].…”

“…Tea and coffee are among the most commonly consumed beverage types worldwide [ 14 , 15 ], while the consumption of soft drinks continues to increase [ 16 ]. Recent studies have reported an association between serum uric acid level and the intake of coffee, tea, and soft drinks [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. It has been hypothesized that the fructose present in soft drinks may increase the risk of hyperuricemia [ 18 ]; however, the exact mechanism through which these beverages may induce hyperuricemia remains unclear.…”

Systemic Investigation of Promoter-wide Methylome and Genome Variations in Gout

“…If common genetic variation did not contribute to the epigenetic associations of PGGT1B, INSIG1 , ANGPTL2 , JNK1 , and CNTN5 with gout, it would be interesting to clarify mechanisms underlying the differential methylation of these CpG sites in gout. Prior research suggested that risk of gout was lowered by consumption of coffee, which inhibited DNA methylation [ 50 , 51 ]. Similarly, omega-3 fatty acid, which decreased DNA methylation [ 52 ], displayed negative association with gout [ 53 ].…”