Effects on uric acid, body mass index and blood pressure in adolescents of consuming beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup

OBJECTIVE: The dietary intake of fructose-rich sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) may have a significant role in raising serum uric acid (SUA) levels as well as the risk of contracting gout and cardiovascular risk factors. Our objective was to investigate the impact of SSB intake on SUA, body mass index (BMI) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) among adolescents in Taiwan. METHODS: We evaluated data from 2727 representative adolescents who were multistage sampled from 36 Junior High schools in Taiwan. We cross-sectionally collected demographic, physical, dietary and anthropometric variables, and prospectively measured clinical outcomes. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and logistic models adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: We found that 87.7% of adolescents were SSB drinkers, with 25.1% drinking > 500 ml per day of such beverages. Increased SSB intake was associated with increased waist and hip circumferences, body fat, BMI, SBP and SUA. As compared with non-drinkers, SSB drinkers had a 3.2-4.9 elevated risk of obesity. The prevalence of hyperuricemia in heavy SSB users (40.2-49.4%) was appreciably greater than that for non-users (24.2%). Adolescents who consumed > 500 ml per day of heavy high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) containing beverages had a 0.42 mg dl(-1) higher SUA level and a 2.0-2.1 increased risk of developing hyperuricemia than non-drinkers. The consumption of HFCS-rich beverages was also found to interact with obesity in determining higher levels of SUA (2.2-2.4 mg dl(-1) increases). CONCLUSION: High SSB consumption has a notable effect on increased levels of BMI and SUA. The intake of HFCS-rich beverages and BMI were likely to interactively strengthen SUA levels among obese adolescents. International Journal of Obesity (2013) 37, 532-539; doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.121; published online 14 August 2012