Vitamin C may reduce uric acid, with one meta-analysis of 12 clinical trials[1] reporting a reduction of 0.35 mg/dL in uric acid with supplemental vitamin C. However, the included studies had highly variable designs and populations. For example, many studies were performed on people performing moderate[2][3] to high levels of exercise,[4][5] including one study on ultramarathon runners.[6] Results from these studies may not be applicable to most people at risk of gout. Only one randomized trial[7] has investigated the effect of vitamin C on people with gout, but it compared vitamin C to a well established uric acid-lowering drug (allopurinol) rather than a placebo. This study reported a greater reduction in uric acid with allopurinol compared to 500 mg vitamin C and no reduction in uric with vitamin C compared to baseline. One large clinical trial on middle men observed a decrease in the risk of gout with supplementation, though there was no clear benefit among men with a BMI of 30 or higher.[8] There are currently no randomized, placebo-controlled trials examining the effect of vitamin C among people with active gout.
Tart cherries have been suggested to lower uric acid, though findings from clinical trials have been mixed. In one study on women who did not have gout, consumption of tart cherry juice led to a 19.2% reduction in uric acid compared to a sugar matched placebo,[9] whereas in a study on people with gout, consumption of various doses of tart cherry juice had no effect on uric acid levels or gout flares.[10]
A limited number of trials have reported reductions in uric acid from various supplements, including phytic acid (aka inositol hexametaphosphate or IP6),[11] a combination of glycine and tryptophan[12], psyllium fiber,[13] and probiotics.[14]
References
- ^Stephen P Juraschek, Edgar R Miller 3rd, Allan C GelberEffect of oral vitamin C supplementation on serum uric acid: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsArthritis Care Res (Hoboken).(2011 Sep)
- ^S R Maxwell, P Jakeman, H Thomason, C Leguen, G H ThorpeChanges in plasma antioxidant status during eccentric exercise and the effect of vitamin supplementationFree Radic Res Commun.(1993)
- ^Vitor H Teixeira, Hugo F Valente, Susana I Casal, A Franklim Marques, Pedro A MoreiraAntioxidants do not prevent postexercise peroxidation and may delay muscle recoveryMed Sci Sports Exerc.(2009 Sep)
- ^Hidekatsu Yanai, Mie MorimotoEffect of ascorbate on serum lipids and urate metabolism during exhaustive trainingClin Sci (Lond).(2004 Jan)
- ^L Rokitzki, E Logemann, A N Sagredos, M Murphy, W Wetzel-Roth, J KeulLipid peroxidation and antioxidative vitamins under extreme endurance stressActa Physiol Scand.(1994 Jun)
- ^Nieman DC, Henson DA, McAnulty SR, McAnulty L, Swick NS, Utter AC, Vinci DM, Opiela SJ, Morrow JDInfluence of vitamin C supplementation on oxidative and immune changes after an ultramarathonJ Appl Physiol (1985).(2002 May)
- ^Lisa K Stamp, John L O'Donnell, Christopher Frampton, Jill M Drake, Mei Zhang, Peter T ChapmanClinically insignificant effect of supplemental vitamin C on serum urate in patients with gout: a pilot randomized controlled trialArthritis Rheum.(2013 Jun)
- ^Stephen P Juraschek, J Michael Gaziano, Robert J Glynn, Natalya Gomelskaya, Vadim Y Bubes, Julie E Buring, Robert H Shmerling, Howard D SessoEffects of vitamin C supplementation on gout risk: results from the physicians' health study II trialAm J Clin Nutr.(2022 May 16)
- ^Keith R Martin, Katie M ColesConsumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr.(2019 Feb 25)
- ^Lisa K Stamp, Peter Chapman, Christopher Frampton, Stephen B Duffull, Jill Drake, Yuqing Zhang, Tuhina NeogiLack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with goutRheumatology (Oxford).(2020 Sep 1)
- ^Takeshi Ikenaga, Keiji Kakumoto, Noriyuki Kohda, Tetsuya YamamotoEffect of Inositol Hexaphosphate (IP 6) on Serum Uric Acid in Hyperuricemic Subjects: a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover StudyPlant Foods Hum Nutr.(2019 Sep)
- ^Shunji Oshima, Sachie Shiiya, Yasunori NakamuraSerum Uric Acid-Lowering Effects of Combined Glycine and Tryptophan Treatments in Subjects with Mild Hyperuricemia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover StudyNutrients.(2019 Mar 6)
- ^Sierra M, García JJ, Fernández N, Diez MJ, Calle APTherapeutic effects of psyllium in type 2 diabetic patientsEur J Clin Nutr.(2002 Sep)
- ^Monika Szulińska, Igor Łoniewski, Saskia van Hemert, Magdalena Sobieska, Paweł BogdańskiDose-Dependent Effects of Multispecies Probiotic Supplementation on the Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Level and Cardiometabolic Profile in Obese Postmenopausal Women: A 12-Week Randomized Clinical TrialNutrients.(2018 Jun 15)