November 12, 2010

Dear Editor:

This letter is in response to your recent article on beverages and gout (“Fructose-rich sodas, orange juice boost gout risk in women too,” Nov. 11).

It is important to point out to your readers that this study fails to be meaningful when it comes to informing them about the real causes of gout.  To suggest that high fructose corn syrup intake causes gout is not based on modern day science, but rather centuries-old theory.  

In fact, the body of science on gout shows foods and beverages high in purines – such as alcohol, beer and certain meats – are strongly linked to uric acid metabolism, and therefore gout. As the authors of the referenced study themselves note, soft drinks and orange juice – the beverages discussed in this study – do not contain purines. 

In addition, at least 45 percent, and possibly as much as 58 percent, of the sweeteners soft drinks contain are in fact glucose, not fructose.

The fact remains that the strongest risk factor for developing gout is family history – if your mom or your dad has gout, you are at a greater risk of developing it. Those who have a family history of gout, or are interested in learning the facts about this arthritic condition, should visit the National Institutes of Health National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website. 

Sincerely,

Tracey Halliday

Vice President, Communications

American Beverage Association