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TOPLINE:

Very high levels of serum uric acid were associated with a 15% lower risk for adult depression compared with low levels in a new study. Produced when the body breaks down purines, serum uric acid was shown to be protective at concentrations greater than 315.20 μmol/L.

METHODOLOGY:

• This cross-sectional study included data for more than 37,000 participants (51% women; mean age, 48 years; 9% with depression) in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2020.
• A Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥ 10 was considered indicative of a depression diagnosis. Serum uric acid levels were obtained from the Standard Biochemistry Profile in Laboratory Data.
• The fully adjusted analysis accounted for such factors as sex, age, race/ethnicity, educational level, smoking, alcohol use, BMI, serum creatinine levels, and the presence of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

TAKEAWAY:

• The group with depression had a significantly lower mean level of serum uric acid compared to the group without depression (317.7 vs 323.3 μmol/L, respectively; P < .001).
• In the fully adjusted model, the group with the highest level of uric acid (≥ 350.9 μmol/L) had a significantly decreased risk for depression compared to the group with the lowest level (≤ 279.6 μmol/L; odds ratio [OR], 0.85; P = .002). These findings were consistent even after adjusting for confounding factors such as diet and medication use (P = .03).
• Uric acid level had an approximate linear negative correlation with depression risk (P for nonlinear = .4). A concentration above 315.20 μmol/L had a potentially protective effect against depression occurrence (P overall = .02).
• The protective effect of high uric acid levels was more pronounced in smokers (OR, 0.69; P for interaction = .003) and individuals with moderate physical activity (OR, 0.70; P for interaction = .001).

IN PRACTICE:

“For adults with low serum uric acid, attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of depression. Further clinical and experimental studies are needed to verify their potential causality,” the investigators wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Pengwei Lai, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China. It was published online on June 20 in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

LIMITATIONS:

The study’s cross-sectional design prevented the establishment of causal inferences. The analysis was not adjusted for the use of antidepressant drugs. Additionally, the inclusion of adults only limited the generalizability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Project of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology. The investigators reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.