Insulinemic Diet modification helps minimize Gout risk among Females

According to a new study led by Natalie McCormick and colleagues, chronic hyperinsulinemia (i.e., greater insulin resistance with reduced clearance), was positively associated with the risk of incident gout in large prospective cohorts of US women, even beyond the pathway through adiposity.

Gout and the metabolic (insulin resistance) syndrome are commonly co-occurring conditions. In physiologic investigations, intravenous insulin has been shown to enhance serum urate (SU) levels, and a Mendelian Randomization research found that fasting insulin has a causal effect in the risk of hyperuricemia and gout. The findings of this study were presented in Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium on 7th November, 2021.

The following study included 170,699 women from the Nurses Health Study I (1986-2016) and II (1989-2017) who were free of gout at the start. The participants were given validated questionnaires to assess dietary consumption and covariates every 2-4 years, as well as new instances of physician-diagnosed gout every 2 years.

The insulinemic potential of the meal was assessed using two methods:

1) a food-based EDIH score that was pre-defined based on circulating C-peptide levels and represents insulin resistance; and