Association of dietary patterns and hyperuricemia: a cross-sectional study of the Yi ethnic group in China

BACKGROUND: Diet plays an important role in the development of hyperuricemia (HUA), but evidence for association between overall dietary patterns and HUA is scarce and inconsistent. The present study aims to explore association of dietary patterns and HUA among the Yi ethnic group of China. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study involving people aged more than 18 years. Principal component factor analysis (PCFA) on food groups from a semi-quantitative 52-item food frequency questionnaire was applied to identify dietary patterns. HUA status was regressed on tertiles of factor scores to estimate prevalence ratio (PR) by using log-binomial model. RESULTS: Of the 1,893 participants (18–96 years), 398 (21.0%) were diagnosed with HUA. Three dietary patterns were identified: ‘plant-based’, ‘animal products’, and ‘mixed food’. The ‘animal products’ was characterized by high intake of fish, animal giblets, fresh meat, and wheat products. After adjustment for potential confounders, the highest tertile of ‘animal products’ pattern score was associated with higher prevalence of HUA when compared with the lowest tertile (PR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.06–1.70). The other two patterns were not related to HUA. CONCLUSIONS: ‘Animal products’ dietary pattern was correlated with HUA among the Yi ethnic group of China.