What Causes High Uric Acid? Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Uric acid is a natural waste product your body creates when breaking down chemicals called purines. Usually, your kidneys filter it out through urine without you ever noticing. However, if your body produces too much or your kidneys cannot remove it fast enough, it accumulates in the blood—a condition known as hyperuricemia. Over time, this buildup can form sharp crystals in your joints, leading to painful gout or kidney stones. Understanding why these levels spike is the first step toward preventing pain and protecting your long-term health.

What Is Uric Acid?

Uric acid is a waste product that your body produces naturally. It emerges when your system breaks down chemicals known as purines. Purines exist naturally in your body, but you also find them in certain foods. Under normal circumstances, your body dissolves uric acid in the blood. It then travels to the kidneys, and you eliminate it through urine.

However, this process does not always work seamlessly. Sometimes your body produces too much uric acid, or your kidneys fail to excrete enough of it. When this happens, uric acid builds up in your blood, a condition doctors call hyperuricemia. This excess can form sharp, needle-like crystals in your joints or fluids, leading to pain and inflammation.

How Is Uric Acid Formed?

To understand high levels, you must first understand uric acid formation. The process begins at the cellular level. Your body constantly breaks down and recycles cells. During this process, it metabolizes purines. As your liver processes these purines, it creates uric acid as a byproduct.

This is a normal biological function. In fact, uric acid acts as an antioxidant in the blood at normal levels. The problem arises only when the balance tips—when production outpaces elimination.

What Causes High Uric Acid Levels in the Body?

Many factors contribute to this imbalance. If you ask, "What causes high uric acid?" the answer usually involves a combination of diet, genetics, and health conditions. Let’s break down the primary reasons why uric acid increases in our body.

1. Dietary Choices

Your diet plays a massive role in uric acid formation. When you consume foods rich in purines, you give your body more raw material to convert into uric acid.

• Red Meat and Organ Meats: Foods like liver, kidney, beef, and lamb contain high concentrations of purines. When you eat them, your digestive system breaks them down, which directly increases uric acid in the blood.
• Seafood: Certain seafood, including shellfish, sardines, anchovies, and tuna, triggers a rapid rise in uric acid.
• Sugary Drinks: This is a hidden culprit. Beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, such as sodas and energy drinks, differ from purine-rich foods but are equally dangerous. Your body breaks down fructose in a way that produces purines, which then convert to uric acid.
• Alcohol: Alcohol affects you in two ways. First, many alcoholic drinks, specifically beer, contain purines. Second, alcohol forces your kidneys to work harder to filter it out instead of filtering uric acid. This competition causes uric acid to accumulate in the bloodstream.

2. Kidney Function

The most common reason for high uric acid in body isn't overproduction, but under-excretion. Your kidneys act as a filter. In a healthy body, they efficiently remove waste. However, if your kidneys function poorly due to chronic kidney disease or other renal issues, they leave too much uric acid in the bloodstream. Even in people with healthy kidneys, certain factors can inhibit the kidneys' ability to clear uric acid efficiently.

3. Body Weight and Obesity

Obesity significantly influences why uric acid increases. Fat cells produce more uric acid than muscle cells. Additionally, carrying extra weight makes it harder for your kidneys to filter out uric acid. This creates a cycle where the body produces more waste while simultaneously struggling to remove it.

4. Medications

Certain medicines you take for other conditions can unexpectedly raise your levels.

• Diuretics (Water Pills): Doctors often prescribe these for high blood pressure. They help your body expel water and salt but can cause your kidneys to hold onto uric acid.
• Aspirin: Even low doses of aspirin can interfere with your kidneys' ability to excrete uric acid.
• Immunosuppressants: Drugs used to suppress the immune system, often after organ transplants, can also lead to higher levels.

5. Medical Conditions

Several underlying health issues correlate with high uric acid.

• Diabetes and Insulin Resistance: High insulin levels in the blood cause the kidneys to absorb more uric acid rather than excreting it.
• Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid can reduce kidney function, leading to a buildup.
• Psoriasis: This skin condition involves rapid cell turnover. As your body breaks down skin cells quickly, it releases purines, which leads to increased uric acid.

Symptoms: When Uric Acid Is High

You might not know your levels are high until symptoms strike. When uric acid is high, it typically manifests in two primary ways:

Gout

Gout is a complex form of arthritis. It occurs when high uric acid levels cause crystals to form in the joints.

• Intense Joint Pain: The pain usually hits the big toe first but can affect ankles, knees, elbows, and wrists. The pain is often sudden and severe, frequently waking people up in the middle of the night.
• Lingering Discomfort: After the sharp pain subsides, some discomfort may last for days or weeks.
• Inflammation and Redness: The affected joint becomes swollen, tender, warm, and red.

Kidney Stones

High uric acid levels can lead to stone formation.

• Pain: You may feel severe pain in your side and back, below the ribs.
• Urinary Issues: This includes pain on urination, pink or brown urine, or a persistent need to urinate.

Diagnosis: Checking Your Uric Acid Level

Doctors use a simple blood test to measure your uric acid level. They draw a small amount of blood and analyze it to see how many milligrams of uric acid exist per deciliter of blood (mg/dL).

• Normal Levels: Generally, normal values range between 3.5 and 7.2 mg/dL for men and 2.6 and 6.0 mg/dL for women.
• High Levels (Hyperuricemia): Anything above these ranges signals hyperuricemia.

Your doctor may also recommend a 24-hour urine collection test to see if you are passing too much or too little uric acid in your urine. This helps them determine the cause of uric acid increase in body—whether your body produces too much or your kidneys excrete too little.

Prevention and Management: How to Lower Uric Acid

Knowing how uric acid increase in body occurs allows you to take active steps to lower it. You can manage and even reverse high levels through lifestyle changes.

1. Hydrate Aggressively

Water is your best tool. Drinking plenty of fluids helps your kidneys flush out uric acid faster. Aim for at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.

2. Adjust Your Diet

• Limit Purines: Reduce your intake of red meat, organ meats, and shellfish.
• Avoid Fructose: Cut out sugary sodas and processed snacks.
• Eat More Fiber: Fiber-rich foods absorb uric acid in your bloodstream and help eliminate it from your body.
• Add Vitamin C: Some studies suggest that Vitamin C helps the kidneys remove uric acid. Oranges, peppers, strawberries, and broccoli are great sources.
• Cherries: Research indicates that eating cherries or drinking tart cherry juice can lower the risk of gout attacks.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Losing weight reduces the stress on your kidneys and lowers the total amount of uric acid your body produces. However, avoid crash diets. Losing weight too quickly can actually cause a temporary spike in uric acid levels as your body breaks down fat tissue (which releases purines).

4. Limit Alcohol

If you struggle with high levels, try to avoid beer and grain liquors. Wine generally has a smaller effect on uric acid levels, but moderation remains key.

5. Control Blood Sugar

If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, managing your blood sugar levels helps prevent the insulin spikes that cause your kidneys to hold onto uric acid.

Conclusion

High uric acid is more than just a number on a lab report; it is a warning sign from your body. Whether the reason for high uric acid in the body stems from a love of seafood, a genetic trait, or an underlying kidney issue, the result is the same: a risk of painful gout and kidney stones.

By understanding how uric acid increases and recognizing the uric acid formation process, you can make informed decisions. You have the power to influence your levels through hydration, diet, and weight management. If you suspect you have high levels, consult a doctor. They can provide a clear diagnosis and a tailored plan to help you regain your health and keep your joints pain-free.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the main cause of high uric acid in the body?

High uric acid usually results from two main factors: either your body produces too much of it, or your kidneys do not eliminate enough of it. A diet high in purine-rich foods (like red meat and seafood), excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, and genetics are the most common contributors to this imbalance.

How do I know if my uric acid level is high?

You often won't know you have high levels until symptoms appear. Common signs include sudden, intense pain in your joints (especially the big toe), swelling, redness, and heat in the affected area. Severe cases may lead to kidney stones, causing back pain and urinary issues. A simple blood test can confirm your exact levels.

Which foods should I avoid to lower uric acid?

To manage your levels, avoid foods high in purines. This includes red meats (beef, lamb, pork), organ meats (liver, kidneys), and certain seafood (shellfish, sardines, anchovies). You should also eliminate sugary beverages containing high-fructose corn syrup and limit alcohol intake, particularly beer.

Can drinking water reduce uric acid levels?

Yes, drinking water is one of the most effective ways to lower uric acid. Staying hydrated helps your kidneys filter waste more efficiently and flushes excess uric acid out through your urine. Aim for 8 to 10 glasses of water daily to keep your levels in check.

Is high uric acid curable?

While you cannot always "cure" the genetic tendency to produce high uric acid, you can effectively manage and control it. Most people keep their levels in a healthy range through lifestyle changes, such as a balanced diet, weight loss, and hydration. In more severe cases, doctors prescribe medication to regulate production and excretion.