Healthy Diets Prevent Gout in Women Save

A prospective cohort from the Nurses’ Health Study has demonstrated that eating a healthy diet results in a 12% to 32% lower risk of incident gout and an even greater risk reduction (65% to 68%) when combined with normal weight and avoiding diuretics.

The published 2020 to 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been recommended to prevent adverse cardiovascular-metabolic outcomes. This study analyzed if the benefits may extend to the prevention of gout in women.  The guidelines recommend 4 healthy eating patterns: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score, Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and Prudent, plus Western (unhealthy) for comparison.

This prospective cohort study included 80 039 US women in the Nurses’ Health Study followed by questionnaires every 2 years starting in 1984. None had gout at baseline and the cohort was analyzed through 2018. The main outcome was the development of incident gout.

During follow-up, there were 3890 cases of incident female gout. Compared with the least-adherent quintile, women most adherent to healthy diets had significantly lower risk of incident gout according to their adhered diet:

• DASH: HRs 0.68 (95% CI, 0.61-0.76)
• Mediterranean: HR 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.98)
• AHEI:  HR 0.79 (95% CI, 0.71-0.89)
• Prudent diet: HR 0.75 (95% CI, 0.73-0.90) all P for trend ≤.009.

In contrast, women with highest-quintile Western diet score had 49% higher risk of gout (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.33-1.68], P <.001).

The risk reduction from the DASH-diet was further reduced in those with a normal body mass index; 68% lower risk of gout (compared to the least adherent women with overweight or obese BMI).

Those adherent to the DASH diet who were not on diuretics also had a lower risk reduction (65%).

Adherence to healthy diets included in the 2020 to 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans can significantly prevent incident gout in women.