A chemical in your body called uric acid may lead to heart trouble, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Uric acid results from the breakdown of protein. Too much can lead to gout and other problems and, according to this study, heart trouble.
Doctors studied nearly 6,000 people for 20 years. Approximately 1,500 of the people died, mostly from heart trouble. Researchers studied the patients' uric acid levels and found that an elevated uric acid level, not quite high enough to cause gout, could still lead to heart disease and even death -- and the higher the uric acid level, the greater the risk.
Uric acid caused trouble in all races and both sexes, though it did hit women and blacks a bit harder.
Millions of Americans have high uric acid levels. Experts disagree about what to do about it. But it's clear that high uric acid levels can cause heart trouble. So have yours checked and talk with your doctor.
