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What Are the Effects of Uric Acid on Diabetics?

Uric acid is a substance originated from the break down of molecules called purines.

Liver, mackerel, anchovies, dried beans, beer and wine are rich sources of purines.



High levels of uric acid in the body is called hyperuricemia (roughly between 3 and 7 mg/dL), and can be detected through a simple blood test, according to Medline Plus.



Hyperuricemia is often linked to gout (recurrent joint inflammation). However, according to article published by Diabetes Care, high uric acid levels can also cause type 2 diabetes, although it has also been related to a beneficial antioxidant action.

  1. Role of Uric Acid

    • Although the deposit of uric acid in the joints can cause gout, when in the brain, the substance is likely to have conflicting roles, a stated in Science Daily.

      Uric acid can act as an antioxidant, which destroy free radicals that damage oxygen in the blood. However, high levels of uric acid are also linked to diabetes, obesity and heart disease. According to Science Daily, it also is a risk factor for stroke.

    Effects of Hyperuricemia in Type 2 Diabetes

    • Apart from gout and type 2 diabetes (often linked to aging and obesity), many other conditions can be caused by high levels of uric acid, including hypoparathyroidism (malfunctioning of the parathyroid glands), nephrolithiasis (kidney stones), polycythemia vera (overproduction of blood cells), renal failure and acidosis of the blood.

    Benefits for Type 1 Diabetes

    • While type 2 diabetes is based on a malfunctioning pancreas, unable to produce the right doses of insulin, type 1 diabetes occurs when pancreatic cells totally stop producing insulin.

      As stated by Medical News Today, type 1 diabetes often appears in the early years and its occurrence is not related to obesity or life style. The conclusions of a research with type 1 diabetics, and published on the American Diabetes Association website, confirm the beneficial antioxidant effect of elevated uric acid, which include arteriosclerosis.

    Risks for Type 1 Diabetics

    • However, high levels of uric acid in type 1 patients can also indicated kidney disease. According to a study published on The Medical News, the higher the uric acid levels found in the observed patients, the lower the kidney function, which is an early sign of diabetic nephropathy.

    Symptoms

    • While diabetes symptoms can be rather apparent (thirst, dry month, constant urination, fatigue), hyperuricemia is not always detectable through evident symptoms apart from joint paint (related to gout), as stated by Chemocare.

      The best way to know whether your uric acid levels are normal is doing a blood test.

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