Hyperuricemia is the consequence of metabolic derangement, and associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity and insulin resistance. Individuals in the Asian-Pacific countries seemed to suffer from hyperuricemia more, due to multifactorial factors, including dietary habits. However, evidence about the dietary roles for hyperuricemia was inconsistent. In addition, the consequences of hyperuricemia included metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; however, it is arguable if hyperuricemia was a novel biomarker to predict type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases beyond traditional risk factors, such as age, gender, obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Due to available strategies of dietary and pharmacological intervention are available to control uric acid, unraveling the role of uric acid becomes an important task for clinical management and public health prevention. Recent development for lowering uric acid treatment modalities, including a novel xanthine oxidase inhibitor, febuxostat, makes possible for controlling uric acid and related cardiovascular complication. In this talk, I will present evidence from Taiwan to focus the role of uric acid in the atherosclerotic diseases. First, the data from the community-based cohort and one Taiwanese representative sample was presented to elucidate the distribution patterns, trends and the roles of uric acid for metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Second, uric acid level was considered as a predictive variable for new onset of hypertension in Taiwanese general population. Third, from the food frequency questionnaire information, dietary habits among Taiwanese adults were related to serum uric acid. In summary, hyperuricemia has been considered as a risk factor for atherosclerosis; further intervention studies on biological and clinical evidence are warranted.

Related reference:
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