Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia is a risk factor for various metabolic disorders. We aimed to investigate the association between serum carotenoid levels and hyperuricemia using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis utilizing data from three specific NHANES cycles (2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2017-2018), containing the most complete serum carotenoid data from 12,253 participants aged 20 years and older. Serum carotenoids were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography, while hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid levels ≥ 416 μmol/L (7.0 mg/dL) in men and ≥ 357 μmol/L (6.0 mg/dL) in women. Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to assess the relationship between carotenoids and hyperuricemia. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 50.1 ± 18.7 years, with a hyperuricemia prevalence of 20.5%. Higher serum carotenoids were associated with a lower prevalence of hyperuricemia, with each 1-unit increase in total carotenoids being inversely associated with hyperuricemia (odds ratio [OR] = 0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72-0.82) in multivariable analyses. Compared to participants with the lowest quartile, reduced ORs for hyperuricemia odds were observed for those with the highest quartile for total carotenoids (0.55 [0.47-0.64]), α-carotene (0.60 [0.52-0.71]), β-carotene (0.56 [0.48-0.65]), β-cryptoxanthin (0.58 [0.49-0.67]), trans-lycopene (0.75 [0.65-0.87]), cis-lycopene (0.83 [0.65-1.06]), total-lycopene (0.75 [0.64-0.87]), and lutein + zeaxanthin (0.66 [0.57-0.77]). Subgroup analyses indicated stronger associations among younger individuals, women, and those without any history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: Higher serum carotenoid levels are associated with reduced odds of hyperuricemia. These results underscore the potential role of carotenoids in managing hyperuricemia and its related health complications.