News: Serum uric acid marks insulin resistance in older women

A positive association exists between serum uric acid (UA) and insulin resistance in older women, but not in men, finds a community-based prospective study conducted in Taiwan.

In an effort to explore the gender-different relationships between insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome (MS), and hyperuricemia, researchers studied 852 men and women with an average age of almost 65 years.

They found a significant association between hyperuricemia and MS or insulin resistance in women, but not men, that persisted independently of age, body mass index (BMI), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Although the prevalence of hyperuricemia was significantly higher in men than in women, irrespective of age and BMI, only MS-and not hyperuricemia-was significantly associated with insulin resistance in men.

Chen LK, Lin MH, Lai HY, et al. Uric acid: a surrogate of insulin resistance in older women. Maturitas. 2008;59:55-61.