Urine alkalization facilitates uric acid excretion.
BACKGROUND
Increase in the incidence of hyperuricemia associated with gout as well as hypertension, renal diseases and cardiovascular diseases has been a public health concern. We examined the possibility of facilitated excretion of uric acid by change in urine pH by managing food materials.


METHODS
Within the framework of the Japanese government's health promotion program, we made recipes which consist of protein-rich and less vegetable-fruit food materials for H+-load (acid diet) and others composed of less protein but vegetable-fruit rich food materials (alkali diet). Healthy female students were enrolled in this consecutive 5-day study for each test. From whole-day collected urine, total volume, pH, organic acid, creatinine, uric acid and all cations (Na+,K+,Ca(2+),Mg(2+),NH₄+) and anions (Cl⁻,SO₄(2-),PO₄⁻) necessary for the estimation of acid-base balance were measured.


RESULTS
Urine pH reached a steady state 3 days after switching from ordinary daily diets to specified regimens. The amount of acid generated ([SO₄(2-)] +organic acid-gut alkai) were linearly related with those of the excretion of acid (titratable acidity+ [NH4+] - [HCO3⁻]), indicating that H+ in urine is generated by the metabolic degradation of food materials. Uric acid and excreted urine pH retained a linear relationship, where uric acid excretion increased from 302 mg/day at pH 5.9 to 413 mg/day at pH 6.5, despite the fact that the alkali diet contained a smaller purine load than the acid diet.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that alkalization of urine by eating nutritionally well-designed food is effective for removing uric acid from the body.
Kanbara
Aya
A
Department of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Faculty for Human Development, Hiroshima Jyogakuin University, 4-13-1 Ushita-higashi Higashi-ku Hiroshima 732-0063 Japan.
Hakoda
Masayuki
M
Seyama
Issei
I
D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium; D000143:Acids / Q000652:urine*; D000468:Alkalies / Q000652:urine*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000652:urine*; D055815:Young Adult
D000143:Acids; D000468:Alkalies; D014527:Uric Acid; D003404:Creatinine