uric acid symptoms Hyperuricemia, an abnormally high level of uric acid in your body, can cause a type of kidney stone and exacerbate gout if excess uric acid forms painful crystals in the joints. High cholesterol levels may be associated with uric acid levels in your body, although more scientific evidence is needed to confirm a relationship. uric acid symptoms Metabolic syndrome is a health condition comprising three or more of these characteristics: an apple-shaped body with a waistline greater than 40 inches for men, or greater than 35 inches for women; a fasting, high blood sugar reading; high blood pressure; high triglycerides and low “good” cholesterol. In a 2007 study published in the “Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology,” researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that people with metabolic syndrome also tend to have higher levels of uric acid. More research is needed to determine what effect each metabolic syndrome parameter has on uric acid levels in your body and what effect uric acid levels have on each parameter. Photo by Nguyễn Hiệp on Unsplash Blood Pressure: An Independent Factor? A study published in 2011 in the “Journal of Human Hypertension” found that high blood pressure is independently and directly related to high uric acid in the blood, although the causal relationship between the two is still unknown. This study, conducted in 8,415 human subjects in China, found that high blood pressure was associated with high blood uric acid regardless of age, gender, or other metabolic factors. The researchers found that the association between high blood pressure and high blood uric acid was most evident in people with the highest levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol. This led them to conclude that HDL cholesterol could modify uric acid in the blood, but more research is needed. blood pressure and cholesterol Your cholesterol levels may be at least indirectly related to uric acid levels in your body, since cholesterol is directly related to blood pressure. High “bad” cholesterol, or LDL, increases plaque buildup in the arteries, leaving less room for blood to flow, leading to high blood pressure. On the other hand, HDL helps reduce plaque buildup by removing cholesterol from the blood so it can be excreted, notes the American Heart Association. How to normalize your cholesterol More research is needed on how high LDL, low HDL, high blood pressure, or a combination of all three are associated with hyperuricemia. Still, you should control your cholesterol levels to prevent general health problems. The American Heart Association recommends exercising for at least 30 minutes on most days, not smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke, and replacing saturated and trans fats and dietary cholesterol with unsaturated fats. Dietary cholesterol and saturated and trans fats are found primarily in poultry skin, fats from red meat, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, dairy fats, and organ meats, such as the liver. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats come mainly from fish and vegetable fats, such as olive oil, nuts and seeds, and avocado.