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Acute effect of green tea catechins on uric acid metabolism after alcohol ingestion in Japanese men

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Abstract

Introduction/objectives

Alcohol consumption is associated with hyperuricemia and gout. Previous studies have indicated a role for green tea catechins in uric acid (UA) metabolism. This study aimed to elucidate the acute effect of green tea catechins in terms of enhancing urinary excretion of UA and xanthine/hypoxanthine (Xa/HX; UA precursors) after alcohol ingestion.

Methods

In a randomized crossover study, ten healthy Japanese subjects consumed test meals, including a Japanese distilled spirit (Shōchū) with water (SW) or Shōchū with catechin-rich green tea (SC), each containing 20 g of alcohol. The SC contained 617 mg of catechin in total. Serum and urine UA and Xa/HX concentrations were measured. Blood samples were collected after 2.5 h, and urine samples were collected between 0 and 5 h after consuming the test meal.

Results

Urine UA and Xa/HX excretions were significantly higher in the SC group than in the SW group (UA: SW, 0.45 ± 0.08; SC, 0.52 ± 0.09; Xa/HX: SW, 0.08 ± 0.04; SC, 0.16 ± 0.05 mg/kg/h). UA clearance (CUA) and fractional UA excretion (FEUA) tended to increase more in the SC group than in the SW group (CUA: SW, 7.76 ± 2.14; SC, 8.75 ± 2.23 mL/min/1.73 m2; FEUA: SW, 6.08 ± 1.36; SC, 6.64 ± 1.42%). No significant differences in serum UA and Xa/HX concentrations were observed between two groups.

Conclusions

It was concluded that green tea catechins can enhance the excretion of UA and Xa/HX, even though alcohol is ingested.

Trial registration number

UMIN000040076. Retrospectively registered 7 April 2020. https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000045687

Key Points

• Green tea catechins enhance the excretion of uric acid and xanthine/hypoxanthine, even when alcohol is ingested simultaneously.

• In case of non-adherence of limiting alcohol intake, catechin-rich green tea may be an effective dietary component to continue dietary therapy.

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Data availability

Data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable

Abbreviations

UA:

Uric acid

HX:

Hypoxanthine

Xa:

Xanthine

XO:

Xanthine oxidase

SD:

Standard deviation

BMI:

Body mass index

SW:

Shōchū with water

SC:

Shōchū with catechin-rich green tea

Cre:

Creatinine

Ccr:

Creatinine clearance

FUA :

Filtered uric acid load

CUA :

Uric acid clearance

U-UA excretion:

Urinary uric acid excretion per kilogram of body weight per hour

FEUA :

Renal fractional uric acid excretion

FXa/HX :

Filtered Xa/HX load

CXa/HX :

Xa/HX clearance

U-Xa/HX excretion:

Urinary Xa/HX excretion per kilogram of body weight per hour

FEXa/HX :

Renal fractional Xa/HX excretion

URAT1:

Urate anion transporter 1

OAT:

Organic anion transporters

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the volunteers who participated in the study.

Funding

This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 19 K11670 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan (awarded to HA).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Clinical Nutrition and Management, Graduate Division of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, and Graduate School of Integrated Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Shizuoka, 52-1 Yada, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, 422-8526, Japan

    Yuka Kawakami, Arisa Yasuda, Motoki Hayashi, Misuzu Akiyama & Hidekazu Arai

  2. Asai Clinic, Shizuoka, Japan

    Toshihiko Asai

  3. Laboratory of Clinical Nutrition, Graduate Division of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, and Graduate School of Integrated Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan

    Toshio Hosaka

Authors
  1. Yuka Kawakami
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  2. Arisa Yasuda
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  3. Motoki Hayashi
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  4. Misuzu Akiyama
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  5. Toshihiko Asai
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  6. Toshio Hosaka
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  7. Hidekazu Arai
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Contributions

YK and HA conceived the research idea and designed the study. YK, AY, MH, MA, and TA collected, analyzed, and interpreted the data. YK and AY drafted the manuscript. TA and TH contributed significant advice. HA edited the manuscript. All the authors contributed to revisions of the manuscript and reviewed the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuka Kawakami.

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None.

Ethics approval

The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Shizuoka.

Consent to participate

The purpose of the study was explained to the participants, and the present study was performed after obtaining written informed consent.

Consent for publication

Prior to data collection, the purpose of the study was explained to the participants and their informed consent was recorded.

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Kawakami, Y., Yasuda, A., Hayashi, M. et al. Acute effect of green tea catechins on uric acid metabolism after alcohol ingestion in Japanese men. Clin Rheumatol 40, 2881–2888 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-021-05625-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-021-05625-7

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