How Might the Gut Microbiome Impact Hyperuricemia and Gout?

A recent study evaluated whether there might be a causal relationship between one’s gut microbiota and hyperuricemia.¹ The researchers looked at data from genome-wide association studies. They included over 700,000 participants for gout, nearly 300,000 for serum urate, and over 18,000 for gut microbiome.¹ They used 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis and evaluated the results with multiple sensitivity analyses.

The authors found that Escherichia-Shigella showed a positive association with serum uric acid levels.¹ Additionally, Lachnospiraceae NC2004 and Family XIII AD3011 actually showed a correlation with reduced risk of hyperuricemia. Lastly, Coprococcus 3 exhibited a causal association with increased risk for gout. Overall, the authors contend that “this study provides evidence for a causal association between gut microbial genera and HUA or gout, and further investigations of the underlying mechanism are warranted.”¹

Reference
1. Lou Y, Liu B, Jiang Z, et al. Assessing the causal relationships of gut microbial genera with hyperuricemia and gout using two-sample Mendelian randomization. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024:S0939-4753(24)00041-3. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.01.021. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38403483.