What Do Men and Soft Drinks Have in Common?

Men who tend to drink sugary soft drinks and consume food products with large amounts of fructose may have an increased risk of gout.

Gout is a disease that can provoke inflammatory reactions in joints and tissues due to the accumulation of uric acid in the blood. This condition is often found among men over forty years and could be very painful.

American and Canadian researchers focused on the connection between sugar intake and the risk of gout. Their study involved over 46,000 men of over forty years old for twelve years. The researchers focused on their diet, including their soft drinks consumption as well as fruits and fruits juice intake. The experts also collected data regarding their weight, medical conditions, and medications. During the twelve year period, 755 men were diagnosed with gout.

Their findings also showed that the risk of gout increased as the soft drinks consumption increased. The risk for gout has increased by twenty-nine percent for men who consumed up to six servings of soft drinks per month, compared to those who had only one serving per month.

In case of men who consumed more than two servings of soft drinks per day the risk of gout increased by eighty-five percent compared to men who had one serving per month.

The results showed that diet soft drinks are not responsible for the increase of the risk of gout, while foods with large amounts of fructose such as fruits may cause gout. The study`s results are not influenced by age, body mass index, blood pressure, diet, alcohol consumption, or the use of diuretics.