The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Western diet, and risk of gout in men: prospective cohort study

Men with a diet in the top fifth of DASH scores had a lower risk of developing gout than those with the lowest scores (adjusted RR 0.68; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.80; P<0.001). In contrast, a higher Western dietary pattern was associated with increased risk (1.42; 1.16 to 1.74; P=0.005).

The DASH dietary pattern score focused on its eight key food or nutrient group components: high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, low fat dairy products, and whole grains, and low intake of sodium, sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats. For each of the components, all participants were classified into fifths according to their intake ranking.

 

For the Western diet, the authors used a dietary pattern characterised by higher intakes of red and processed meats, sugar sweetened beverages, sweets, desserts, French fries, and refined grains.