Coffe may cut the risk of developing gout

Drinking four or more cups of coffee every day may cut the risk of developing gout, the most prevalent inflammatory arthritis in adult males, by 40 per cent, says new research that adds to an ever growing list of potential health benefits associated with the beverage.

Writing in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, researchers from Harvard, the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, and the University of British Columbia in Canada followed 45,869 men over the age of 40 for 12 years and found that regular coffee drinking was associated with a lower risk of gout.

Gout is a disease caused by a disturbance in uric acid metabolism. During a gout attack the body uses uric acid to form painful urate crystals. According to the US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, gout occurs in 8.4 of every 1,000 people and is most prevalent in men over the age of 40.

The new research, led by Hyon Choi, used data obtained using a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), updated every four years. Participants quantified their consumption of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea, and other caffeine-containing beverages as ranging from never to two to four cups per week to six or more per day.

During 12 years of follow-up 757 new cases of gout were diagnosed.

After adjusting the results for potential confounding factors, such as body mass index, history of hypertension, alcohol use, and a diet high in red meat and high-fat dairy foods, Choi and co-workers calculated that the risk for developing gout decreased with increasing coffee consumption.

Consumption of four to five cups of coffee per day was associated with a 40 per cent lower risk of gout, while six or more cups were associated with a 59 per cent lower risk, compared to men who never drank coffee. A modest inverse association with decaffeinated coffee consumption was also observed.

On the other hand, tea drinking and total caffeine intake were not found to have an influence on the incidence of gout.

Choi and co-workers speculated that the apparent benefits from the coffee may be due to the potent antioxidant chlorogenic acid, although no mechanistic study was performed by the researchers, and more research is needed in this area.

"Our findings are most directly generalisable to men age 40 years and older, the most gout-prevalent population, with no history of gout," said Choi.

"Given the potential influence of female hormones on the risk of gout in women and an increased role of dietary impact on uric acid levels among patients with existing gout, prospective studies of these populations would be valuable."
The average worldwide daily coffee consumption of one and a half cups, while the US average is more than three and a half cups.

Coffee, one of the world's largest traded commodities produced in more than 60 countries and generating more than $70bn in retail sales a year, continues to spawn research and interest, and has been linked to reduced risks of certain diseases, especially of the liver and diabetes.

Source: Arthritis & Rheumatism
Doi: 10.1002/art.22712
"Coffee Consumption and Risk of Incident Gout in Men: A Prospective Study"
Authors: H.K. Choi, W. Willett, and G. Curhan