Health & Fitness · 尿酸（Uric Acid） · Updated 2026-10-25
What Is Uric Acid?
Definition
About 80% of serum urate comes from internal purine turnover (cell renewal + exercise catabolism) and only ~20% from food — so diet alone rarely suffices. Two-thirds is renal, and impaired excretion (URAT1 transporters) is the dominant cause in Chinese populations. Without gout history, lifestyle measures failing to get below 540 μmol/L in 3-6 months warrant drugs; with gout, target <360, and <300 with tophi (to dissolve them). Alcohol (especially beer: purine plus alcohol), fructose drinks and hard anaerobic sessions all spike urate.
Formula
Hyperuricemia: men >420 μmol/L; women >360 μmol/L
Worked Example
A screening urate of 480 with no gout: cut beer and sugary drinks, drink 2L water, lose 5% weight; at 3 months it reads ~420 — keep going, no drugs yet. Above 540, start allopurinol or febuxostat.
Common Misconception
"No gout attack, no problem" — hyperuricemia interlocks with hypertension, kidney disease and insulin resistance; gout is the visible tip. "No soy — too much purine" — plant purines affect serum urate far less than animal purines and alcohol; soy is a safe protein. And "soda water alkalizes it away" — the effect is trivial and the sodium load real; it does not replace medication.
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