title: Is tea consumption associated with the serum uric acid level, hyperuricemia or the risk of gout? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the associations of tea consumption with the serum uric acid (SUA) level, hyperuricemia (HU) and the risk of gout.
  
  
  
  A comprehensive literature search up to June 2016, using PUBMED and EMBASE databases, was conducted to identify the relevant observational studies that examined the associations of tea consumption with the SUA level, HU and the risk of gout.
  
  
  
  A total of fifteen observational studies were included in this study, and nine studies were extracted for meta-analysis. For the SUA level, seven studies were included. According to the combined weighted mean difference (WMD), there was no significant difference between the highest and the lowest tea intake category in terms of the SUA level (WMD = 7.41 μmol/L, 95%CI: -2.34 to 17.15; P = 0.136). In subgroup analysis including three studies, green tea consumption was positively associated with the SUA level (WMD = 17.20 μmol/L, 95%CI: 7.00 to 27.40; P = 0.01). For the prevalence of HU, five studies were included. The overall multi-variable adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the highest versus the lowest category of tea consumption was 0.98 (95%CI: 0.77 to 1.24; P = 0.839). For the risk of gout, two prospective cohort studies showed that there was no relationship between tea consumption and the risk of gout in males and females, respectively.
  
  
  
  The current evidences suggest that tea consumption does not seem to be associated with the SUA level, HU and the risk of gout. However, due to the limited number of studies, green tea consumption might be positively associated with the SUA level. More well-designed prospective cohort studies are needed to elaborate these issues further.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of International Medical Service, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Xuan-An
authors.initials: XA
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Liang-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Zhao
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Hao
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410008, China. lgh9640@sina.cn.
authors.forename: Guang-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lei
mesh_terms: D006073:Gout / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D013662:Tea; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013662:Tea; D014527:Uric Acid
keywords: Gout; Hyperuricemia; Meta-analysis; Serum uric acid; Systematic review; Tea