Role of polyunsaturated fats in gout risk

Simple dietary recommendations, such as including higher n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and linoleic acid while limiting n-3 PUFAs can help lower the risk of gout.

Gout is a prevalent inflammatory arthritis affecting quality of life. This study investigated how different fatty acids influence gout risk.

This study included 268,174 participants from the UK Biobank with fatty acids measured at baseline (2006-2010) and 15,194 with follow-up measurements. Cox models were used to link fatty acid levels with gout incidence while the Mendelian randomization assessed causality.

• Gout incidents: 5,160 cases were observed over 12.8 years.
• Baseline and longitudinal findings: Higher n-6 PUFAs and linoleic acid reduce gout risk while higher n-3 PUFAs increased risk.
• Mendelian randomization: Higher genetically determined n-6 PUFAs and linoleic acid correlate with lower gout risk.

Elevated n-6 PUFAs, especially linoleic acid, may help reduce gout risk, whereas n-3 PUFAs might increase it.