Muscle Fat Content Is Strongly Associated With Hyperuricemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chinese Adults

Abstract

Studies have indicated that the skeletal muscle mass and strength was related to serum uric acid (UA), but there is a lack of research on the association of skeletal muscle fat content with UA. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the correlation of skeletal muscle fat index (SMFI) and hyperuricemia (HUA) in Chinese adults. 500 subjects (306 men and 194 women) were included in the study. The participants were divided into four groups according to SMFI quartiles. Pearson’s correlations between SMFI and metabolic variables were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between the quartiles of SMFI and risk of hyperuricemia. UA showed a positive association with SMFI after adjusted for BMI, age and gender. A significant association between the SMFI and risk of HUA was found, the OR for HUA was 2.79 (95% CI 1.18-6.59, p<0.05) in Q2, 2.41(95% CI 1.00-5.81, p<0.05) in Q3, and 2.63 (95% CI 1.03-6.72, p<0.05) in Q4, after adjusted for BMI. In conclusion, the SMFI was significantly associated with the level of serum UA, and the higher SMFI may indicate a higher risk of HUA, independent of BMI.