903 Cardona, et al: Urate-lowering diet
Response to a Urate-Lowering Diet According to
Polymorphisms in the Apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV
Cluster
FERNANDO CARDONA, FRANCISCO J. TINAHONES, EDUARDO COLLANTES, EDUARDO GARCIA-FUENTES,
ALEJANDRO ESCUDERO, and FEDERICO SORIGUER
ABSTRACT. Objective. The apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV cluster has been associated with the response to a urate-
lowering diet, and polymorphisms in the apolipoprotein CIII gene have been associated with hype-
ruricemia and hypertriglyceridemia. We assessed the influence of polymorphisms in the apolipopro-
tein AI-CIII-AIV cluster on the response to a urate-lowering diet in patients with hyperuricemia.
Methods. A urate-lowering diet was followed for 2 weeks by 64 men with hyperuricemia. Plasma
concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, and uric acid, and the uric acid clearance and
24-hour uric acid urinary excretory fraction were measured before and after the diet. The data were
analyzed in association with the polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV gene cluster.
Results. After the urate-lowering diet, the plasma levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, and
uric acid and 24-hour uric acid excretion all fell significantly. Paired sample ANOVA showed that
the decrease was mainly due to the diet, except for the plasma triglycerides, which were influenced
by allele X2 of the XmnI polymorphism of the apolipoprotein AI gene.
Conclusion. The response of the biological variables to a urate-lowering diet was mainly influenced
by diet. Changes in triglycerides were also influenced by the apolipoprotein AI XmnI polymorphism
(p = 0.04), suggesting a gene-diet interaction (p = 0.03). (J Rheumatol 2005;32:903–5)
Key Indexing Terms:
HYPERURICEMIA APOLIPOPROTEIN AI-CIII-AIV GENE CLUSTER DIET
From the Rheumatology Service, Hospital Reina Sofia, Cordoba; and the
Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Hospital Civil, Carlos Haya
University Hospital, Málaga, Spain.
Supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.
F. Cardona, PhD; F.J. Tinahones, MD, PhD; E. Garcia-Fuentes, PhD;
F. Soriguer, MD, PhD, Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Hospital
Civil, Carlos Haya University Hospital; E. Collantes, MD, PhD; A.
Escudero, MD, Rheumatology Service, Hospital Reina Sofia. The investi-
gation group belongs to the Red de Centros de Metabolismo y Nutrición
(RCMN, C03/08) of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Address reprint requests to Dr. F.J. Tinahones, Servicio de Endocrinología
y Nutrición pabellon 1 sotano, Hospital Civil, Plaza del Hospital Civil s/n
29009, Malaga, Spain. E-mail: fjtinahones@terra.es
Submitted April 19, 2004; revision accepted October 14, 2004.
Hyperuricemia, which is associated with obesity, dyslipi-
demia, and the insulin resistance syndrome, is influenced by
dietary factors. The varied response to dietary intervention
may have a strong genetic component
1
. The association
between polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV
cluster and plasma lipids, cardiovascular disease, and
interindividual variations in the response to dietary therapy
have all been studied
2
.
Apolipoprotein AI polymorphism is involved in the vari-
ability of the apolipoprotein AI response to changes in
dietary fat. In one polymorphism, a G to A transition 75 bp
upstream has recently been shown to have a significant
effect on the response to changes in the amount of dietary
fat
3
.
The frequency of the apolipoprotein CIII mutated allele
S2 varies greatly between different racial groups. This allele
is associated with decreased plasma concentrations of cho-
lesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and
apolipoprotein B after a monounsaturated fatty acid-rich
diet
4
. However, few studies have assessed the role of poly-
morphisms of the whole cluster in hyperuricemia. We eval-
uated the influence of polymorphisms in the whole
apolipoprotein AI-CIII-AIV cluster in the response to a
urate-lowering diet in patients with hyperuricemia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Subjects. The study was undertaken in 64 men with gout, based on the
American College of Rheumatology criteria of Wallace, et al
5
. No patient
was receiving lipid-lowering or urate-lowering therapy and patients with
secondary hyperuricemia (renal failure or use of diuretics), diabetes after an
oral glucose tolerance test, and hypothyroidism were excluded, as were
patients with alcohol abuse. Biochemical variables were measured before
and after a urate-lowering diet
6
, which was achieved through dietary
advice. The diet includes most sugars, starches, and fats. Protein is supplied
chiefly by eggs and cheese, and partly by bread, fruit, and nuts. The usual
fluid intake is maintained and no restriction is placed on the amount of food
consumed. The following foods are forbidden: meat, poultry, other flesh,
fish, seafood, sardines, herrings, kidney, liver, meat extract, alcohol, beans,
peas, lentils, spinach, oatmeal, and asparagus.
Procedures. DNA was isolated
7
and amplified by polymerase chain reac-
tion. Primers for the XmnI locus were those described by Shoulders, et al
8
;
by Jeenah, et al
9
for the –75 bp locus of the apolipoprotein AI gene (deter-
mined by MspI); and by Dammerman, et al
10
for the SstI locus of the
apolipoprotein CIII gene.
Statistical analysis. Data are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation
(SD). Comparison between groups was by Student t test for independent
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