Pro-inflammatory diet linked to higher gout risk in women, study finds
A pro-inflammatory diet significantly increases the risk of gout in women, with a stronger association than in men, according to a study.
Researchers followed 79,104 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and 93,454 women from NHS II, alongside a male comparison group of 45,445 participants from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Over several decades, participants’ diets were assessed using food frequency questionnaires, emphasizing the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP), a score linked to inflammation biomarkers.
The study found 5,425 new cases of gout in women over 4.37 million person-years. The results showed a strong association between a pro-inflammatory diet and an increased risk of female gout. Women in the highest EDIP quintile had more than double the risk (hazard ratio of 2.02) compared to those with the least inflammatory diets. However, after adjusting for BMI, the association was slightly weaker (HR = 1.71). Women with the most anti-inflammatory diets, based on EDIP scores, showed a protective effect against gout (HR = 0.58). These findings were more pronounced than those for healthier diets like the “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension” or “Alternative Health Eating Index” eating patterns.
Although a pro-inflammatory diet was linked to an increased risk of gout in women, the association was much weaker in men.
Reference
Rai SK, Choi HK, Lu N, et al. Pro-inflammatory dietary pattern and the risk of female gout: sex-specific findings from three prospective cohort studies. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025;doi: 10.1002/art.43127. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39866115.