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Serum uric acid in traditional Pacific Islanders and in Swedes.

Lindeberg, S ; Cordain, L ; Råstam, Lennart LU and Ahrén, Bo LU (2004) In Journal of Internal Medicine 255(3). p.373-378
Abstract
Background. In some western populations, increased serum uric acid has been positively associated with cardiovascular disease, possibly because hyperuricaemia could be an untoward part of the insulin-resistant metabolic syndrome. However, there is evidence that uric acid is a free radical scavenger capable of inhibiting LDL oxidation. Amongst the traditional horticulturalists of Kitava, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia and abdominal obesity are absent or rare. In contrast, serum triglycerides are similar to Swedish levels.



Objective. To compare serum uric acid between nonwesternized and westernized populations.



Methods. Fasting levels of serum... (More)
Background. In some western populations, increased serum uric acid has been positively associated with cardiovascular disease, possibly because hyperuricaemia could be an untoward part of the insulin-resistant metabolic syndrome. However, there is evidence that uric acid is a free radical scavenger capable of inhibiting LDL oxidation. Amongst the traditional horticulturalists of Kitava, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia and abdominal obesity are absent or rare. In contrast, serum triglycerides are similar to Swedish levels.



Objective. To compare serum uric acid between nonwesternized and westernized populations.



Methods. Fasting levels of serum uric acid were measured cross-sectionally in 171 Kitavans aged 20-86 years and in 244 randomly selected Swedish subjects aged 20-80 years.



Results. There were small differences in serum uric acid between the two populations, although a slight increase with age was found only in Swedish males (r = 0.20; P = 0.03) and females (r = 0.36; P < 0.0001). Above 40 years of age, uric acid was approximately 10% lower in Kitavans, a difference which was statistically significant only in males, possibly because of the limited number of females. Regarding hyperuricaemia, two Kitavan males had uric acid above 450 mumol L-1 whilst none of the females was above 340 mumol L-1. Amongst the Swedish subjects, five of 117 males and 19 of 127 females had hyperuricaemia according to these definitions.



Conclusion. The rather similar uric acid levels between Kitava and Sweden imply that uric acid is of minor importance to explain the apparent absence of cardiovascular disease in Kitava. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Internal Medicine
volume
255
issue
3
pages
373 - 378
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000188892500008
  • pmid:14871461
  • scopus:1542345498
ISSN
1365-2796
DOI
10.1046/j.1365-2796.2003.01272.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Medicine (Lund) (013230025), Preventive medicine (ceased) (LUR000017), Family Medicine (013241010)
id
40674758-8877-4b69-bb00-90d86f605bec (old id 120638)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=14871461&ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:36:23
date last changed
2024-01-11 11:16:11
@article{40674758-8877-4b69-bb00-90d86f605bec,
  abstract     = {{Background. In some western populations, increased serum uric acid has been positively associated with cardiovascular disease, possibly because hyperuricaemia could be an untoward part of the insulin-resistant metabolic syndrome. However, there is evidence that uric acid is a free radical scavenger capable of inhibiting LDL oxidation. Amongst the traditional horticulturalists of Kitava, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia and abdominal obesity are absent or rare. In contrast, serum triglycerides are similar to Swedish levels.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Objective. To compare serum uric acid between nonwesternized and westernized populations.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Methods. Fasting levels of serum uric acid were measured cross-sectionally in 171 Kitavans aged 20-86 years and in 244 randomly selected Swedish subjects aged 20-80 years.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Results. There were small differences in serum uric acid between the two populations, although a slight increase with age was found only in Swedish males (r = 0.20; P = 0.03) and females (r = 0.36; P &lt; 0.0001). Above 40 years of age, uric acid was approximately 10% lower in Kitavans, a difference which was statistically significant only in males, possibly because of the limited number of females. Regarding hyperuricaemia, two Kitavan males had uric acid above 450 mumol L-1 whilst none of the females was above 340 mumol L-1. Amongst the Swedish subjects, five of 117 males and 19 of 127 females had hyperuricaemia according to these definitions.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Conclusion. The rather similar uric acid levels between Kitava and Sweden imply that uric acid is of minor importance to explain the apparent absence of cardiovascular disease in Kitava.}},
  author       = {{Lindeberg, S and Cordain, L and Råstam, Lennart and Ahrén, Bo}},
  issn         = {{1365-2796}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{373--378}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Internal Medicine}},
  title        = {{Serum uric acid in traditional Pacific Islanders and in Swedes.}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/4722602/623957.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1046/j.1365-2796.2003.01272.x}},
  volume       = {{255}},
  year         = {{2004}},
}