%0 Journal Article
%T Urine alkalization facilitates uric acid excretion
%A Aya Kanbara
%A Masayuki Hakoda
%A Issei Seyama
%J Nutrition Journal
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1475-2891-9-45
%X Within the framework of the Japanese government's health promotion program, we made recipes which consist of protein-rich and less vegetable-fruit food materials for H+-load (acid diet) and others composed of less protein but vegetable-fruit rich food materials (alkali diet). Healthy female students were enrolled in this consecutive 5-day study for each test. From whole-day collected urine, total volume, pH, organic acid, creatinine, uric acid and all cations (Na+,K+,Ca2+,Mg2+,NH4+) and anions (Cl-,SO42-,PO4-) necessary for the estimation of acid-base balance were measured.Urine pH reached a steady state 3 days after switching from ordinary daily diets to specified regimens. The amount of acid generated ([SO42-] +organic acid-gut alkai) were linearly related with those of the excretion of acid (titratable acidity+ [NH4+] - [HCO3-]), indicating that H+ in urine is generated by the metabolic degradation of food materials. Uric acid and excreted urine pH retained a linear relationship, where uric acid excretion increased from 302 mg/day at pH 5.9 to 413 mg/day at pH 6.5, despite the fact that the alkali diet contained a smaller purine load than the acid diet.We conclude that alkalization of urine by eating nutritionally well-designed food is effective for removing uric acid from the body.Hyperuricemia is not only responsible for the generation of gout but also intimately associated with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases, hypertension and diabetes mellitus[1]. To improve hyperuricemia in the case of gout, almost all medical interventions taken at present rely on pharmacological tools, such as uricosuric medicines and xanthine oxidase inhibitors. Because pharmacological approaches are sometimes accompanied by side effects, alternative way to improve uric acid excretion would be helpful.Hagos, Stein, Ugele, Burckhardt, and Bahn (2007)[2] have provided the general scheme of the commitment of human organic acid transporter 4 (hOAT4) in urate reabsorpt
%U http://www.nutritionj.com/content/9/1/45