Sex-Specific Association of Drinking Habit and Alcohol Beverage Type With Serum Uric Acid in a Healthy Population

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the sex-specific effects of alcohol consumption on serum uric acid (SUA) levels regarding alcohol amount, beverage types and drinking habits in Koreans. METHODS: We evaluated 17,011 adults who underwent health examinations at Samsung Medical Center between January 2011 and June 2016. Alcohol intake was measured in a standard drink unit (SDU), contained 8 g of ethanol. Individuals were categorized into six groups according to their alcohol intake from none to heavy drinkers. A dominant beverage was defined if it accounted for more than 75% of total alcohol intake. Multivariable linear regression models were used to investigate alcohol effect on SUA levels. RESULTS: The mean age was 51.67 ± 7.10 years, with 53.4% of men. Higher total alcohol intake was associated with higher SUA levels (P for trend < 0.001). This dose-dependent association was observed for all beverage types. Among men, heavy drinking showed a larger effect on SUA levels in the beer-dominant group (0.88 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.36-1.41] mg/dL per SDU) than in other dominant groups. Little soju intake in men and light beer intake in women were associated with elevated SUA levels (0.12 [95% CI, 0.03-0.20] and 0.34 [95% CI, 0.18-0.50] mg/dL per SDU, respectively). The increment in SUA levels was higher in subjects with a body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m² than in those with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² across most beverage types. The effect of soju intake on SUA levels was more than twice as high in women compared to men (0.07 [95% CI, 0.02-0.11] versus 0.03 [95% CI, 0.02-0.04] mg/dL per SDU) in the BMI < 25 kg/m² group. CONCLUSION: Dose-dependent associations between SUA levels and alcohol consumption were consistently observed across different beverage types, drinking habits, sex, and BMI, even at low dose alcohol intake. These findings may aid healthcare providers to offer personalized guidance on alcohol consumption for individuals with hyperuricemia.