Association between Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome, Serum Uric Acid, and Urine pH in University Students

Purpose: A few Korean studies have reported that low urine acidity and hyperuricemia are related to metabolic syndrome. Therefore, we evaluated the relationships between urine pH, serum Uric Acid (UA), and metabolic risk factors in university students. Methods: Data were obtained from student health examinations in one university. Participants were 3,412 male and 4,214 female students. Descriptive statistics, t-test, logistic regressions and multiple logistic regression using SPSS version 18.0 were performed. Results: No significant relationship was found between metabolic risk factors and urine pH. From the univariate analysis, serum UA was significantly higher in obese ($BMI{\geq}25$), elevated blood pressure ($SBP{\geq}130$ and $DBP{\geq}85$), and higher triglyceride (${\geq}150$) groups for males and in obese, higher triglyceride and fasting blood sugar (${\geq}100$), and lower HDL-cholesterol (<50) groups for females. From the results of multivariate analysis, age, BMI, and triglyceride were significantly related to serum UA in males, BMI and HDL-cholesterol were significantly related to serum UA in females. Conclusion: Although there was no significant relationship between urinary pH and metabolic risk factors, significant associations between some of the metabolic risk factors and serum UA were found in the young adult population. Further studies are required to know the exact pathway between serum UA and metabolic syndrome.

대학생의 대사증후군 위험요인과 혈청 요산 및 소변 내 산도와의 관련성