How too much uric acid hurts blood vessels
Uric acid induces endothelial dysfunction by vascular insulin resistance associated with the impairment of nitric oxide synthesis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Uric acid caused vascular insulin resistance without causing systemic insulin resistance.
Most assume insulin problems start systemically (like in diabetes), but this shows blood vessels can become insulin-resistant on their own—early in disease development.
Practical Takeaways
Managing uric acid levels—through diet or medication—might help protect blood vessel health, especially in people at risk for hypertension.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Uric acid caused vascular insulin resistance without causing systemic insulin resistance.
Most assume insulin problems start systemically (like in diabetes), but this shows blood vessels can become insulin-resistant on their own—early in disease development.
Practical Takeaways
Managing uric acid levels—through diet or medication—might help protect blood vessel health, especially in people at risk for hypertension.
Publication
Journal
The FASEB Journal
Year
2014
Authors
You-Jin Choi, Yujin Yoon, Kang‐Yo Lee, T. T. Hien, Keon Wook Kang, Kyong-Cheol Kim, Jeewoo Lee, Moo-Yeol Lee, Seung Mi Lee, D. Kang, Byung-Hoon Lee
Related Content
Claims (5)
When rats have too much uric acid in their blood, their blood vessels don't respond as well to insulin because key signals inside the cells aren't working right and less of a helpful blood vessel chemical (nitric oxide) is made.
When your body breaks down fructose, it can create more uric acid, which might make your blood vessels less able to relax and widen because of lower levels of a helpful substance called nitric oxide.
Uric acid messes with blood vessel relaxation in human cells more than it affects blood vessel tightening, which might explain how it harms blood flow.
When rats were given a drug to raise their uric acid levels, their blood pressure went up and their blood vessels didn’t relax as well when insulin was present — this suggests high uric acid might hurt blood vessel function and raise blood pressure in animals.
In rats with high uric acid, taking allopurinol helps lower their uric acid and blood pressure, and fixes blood vessel problems — suggesting it might reverse blood vessel damage caused by high uric acid.