Original ArticleSerum Uric Acid Levels in Relation to Bone-Related Phenotypes in Men and Women
Introduction
Uric acid is traditionally believed to be a metabolic waste of purine metabolism, with no significant biological function in humans. However, it has been suggested that uric acid possesses antioxidant properties 1, 2. Oxidative stress plays an important role in a number of illnesses, including hypertension (3), diabetes (4), and chronic kidney disease (5). A number of antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, have been shown to potentially affect such disorders favorably. Likewise, there is an evidence that uric acid also has a favorable effect in cases of thromboembolic stroke 6, 7.
Oxidative stress may increase the propensity for age-related bone loss (8). In this regard, a recent study in elderly males demonstrated a positive association between serum uric acid levels and bone mineral density (BMD), independent of other associated factors including age and body mass index (9). The finding is intriguing and suggests a probable role of uric acid in bone metabolism. Nevertheless, it is unclear at a present if there is an association between uric acid and bone-related phenotypes in younger age groups, and if there is any gender difference. Toward this end, the present study investigated the association between bone-related phenotypes and serum uric acid levels in young and middle-aged males and females.
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
The study was part of a health survey of employees of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). Institutional Review Board approval was obtained prior to commencement of the study, and all subjects gave informed consent. Survey data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire, physical examination, electrocardiography, chest radiography, and blood analysis. Fasting blood samples were obtained and sent for uric acid analysis. Blood samples for procollagen I
Results
Table 1 demonstrates the clinical characteristics of the study population. Subjects were mostly males (73.1%), largely because of the demographic structure of the EGAT. When comparing males and females, it was found that males were slightly older, and had significantly higher BMD at the femoral neck and total femur but not at the lumbar spine. No difference was found in terms of SI as measured by QUS. Serum uric acid levels were significantly higher in males.
There were correlations between uric
Discussion
In the present study, we demonstrated a relationship in males between serum uric acid levels and BMD at the lumbar spine, a skeletal site rich in trabecular bone. Although our study population was younger in age, our finding is in keeping with a previous study in elderly males (9). This suggests that the influence of uric acid on bone, if causal in nature, is likely to begin at a younger age and could probably affect the attainment of peak bone mass. However, whether uric acid is causally
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the project for Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Development, Office of the Higher Education Commission, and the Thailand Research Fund. We thank Roche Diagnostics (Thailand) Ltd. for providing the serum CTX and serum total P1NP assays used in this study.
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Conflicts of interest: None.