Background/Purpose: In small studies, cherries and cherry concentrate have been suggested to reduce serum urate and gout flares. The aims of this study were to determine the magnitude of the effect of tart cherry concentrate on serum urate in people with gout, the most effective dose of tart cherry concentrate in lowering serum urate, and adverse effects with tart cherry concentrate.

Methods: Fifty people with gout as defined by ARA preliminary classification criteria for gout AND a serum urate >6mg/dl (0.36mmol/l) were recruited. People with type 2 diabetes and those receiving diuretics were excluded. Half the participants were already receiving allopurinol and half were on no urate lowering therapy at the time of recruitment, and participants in each of these blocks were randomised into 5 Cherryvite montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate groups: placebo, 7.5mls twice daily, 15mls twice daily, 22.5mls twice daily and 30mls twice daily for 28 days. Participants were commenced on tart cherry concentrate and blood samples were taken at baseline, the 1, 3, and 5 hours post cherry and then day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Urine anthocyanin concentrations were determined by HPLC as a measure of compliance at before any cherry concentrate day 0 and 28. AUC for serum urate was calculated over the 28-day study period.

Results: Cherry concentrate dose had no significant effect on reduction in serum urate AUC over the 28-day study period. There was no influence of cherry concentrate on the urate lowering effect of allopurinol. There was no effect of cherry concentrate dose on change in urinary anthocyanin between day 0 and day 28 (table). However, those receiving allopurinol had significantly greater increases in urinary anthocyanins (p< 001). Cherry concentrate dose had no significant effect on urinary urate excretion as measured by Simkin Index (p=0.53) or fractional excretion of urate (p=0.32). There were 24 adverse events over the 28 day period with only one (hyperglycaemia) considered possibly related to cherry concentrate. There was no significant effect of cherry concentrate on change in HbA1c (p=0.68) or weight (p=0.80) over the 28 days. There was no effect of cherry concentrate on the frequency of gout flares over the 28-day study period p=0.76) (table).

Conclusion: Tart cherry concentrate had no effect on serum urate or urine urate excretion over 28 days. Reassuringly there were few adverse events. If there is an effect of cherry concentrate on gout flares over a longer time period it is not likely to be mediated by reduction in serum urate.

Table

« Back to 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/lack-of-effect-of-tart-cherry-concentrate-dose-on-serum-urate-in-people-with-gout/