Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Allegedly Tied to Risk of Gout in Women

A new study has suggested that sugar-sweetened beverages may raise the
risk of gout in women. Hyon Choi, et al., “Fructose-Rich Beverages and Risk of
Gout in Women,” The Journal of the American Medical Association, November
10, 2010. Boston University and Harvard researchers examined data on nearly
79,000 U.S. women with no history of gout who participated in the 22-year
Nurses’ Health Study.

Compared to women who drank less than one serving of sugary beverages
or orange juice per month, the study found that women who drank (i) one serving of sweetened soft drink per day had a 74 percent increased risk of
gout, (ii) at least two servings of sweetened soft drinks per day had more
than double the risk of gout; (iii) one serving of orange juice per day were 41
percent more likely to develop gout; and (iv) two or more glasses of orange
juice per day had more than twice the risk of developing gout. Researchers
concluded, however, that although consumption of fructose-rich beverages
was associated with an increased risk of gout in women, the risk “is likely
modest given the low incidence rate among women.”