Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020

BackgroundAt present, the role of uric acid in mental disorders is receiving increasing attention, but its relationship with depression is controversial, and previous studies have corresponding limitations. The relationship between them has not been fully elucidated.ObjectiveThe purpose of this stud...

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Main Authors: Pengwei Lai, Xingyun Xie, Wen Zeng, Weiwen Cheng, Xinyuan Liu, He Long, Taierqi Peng, Antong Hu, Xiaohong Du
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1544266/full
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author Pengwei Lai
Xingyun Xie
Wen Zeng
Weiwen Cheng
Xinyuan Liu
He Long
Taierqi Peng
Antong Hu
Xiaohong Du
author_facet Pengwei Lai
Xingyun Xie
Wen Zeng
Weiwen Cheng
Xinyuan Liu
He Long
Taierqi Peng
Antong Hu
Xiaohong Du
author_sort Pengwei Lai
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundAt present, the role of uric acid in mental disorders is receiving increasing attention, but its relationship with depression is controversial, and previous studies have corresponding limitations. The relationship between them has not been fully elucidated.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).MethodsThis cross-sectional study included participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2020. Use logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis to investigate the relationship between uric acid and depression. The interactions between variables were determined using subgroup analysis and described in a forest plot.Results37033 participants were included in this study, with depression patients accounting for 8.95%. The uric acid levels in the depression group and nondepression group were 317.69 μ mol/L and 323.34 μ mol/L, respectively, with the former having significantly lower uric acid levels than the latter. In the fully adjusted model, participants in the third tertile of uric acid showed a significant correlation (P=0.002, OR; 0.85 (0.76 ~ 0.94)) with a higher risk of depression compared to participants in the first tertile. There is an approximately linear negative correlation between uric acid and depression (P for nonlinear=0.360), and the OR value of uric acid is 1 when the uric acid value is 312.20 μ mol/L.ConclusionsCurrent research suggests that serum uric acid is associated with depression in American adults. More discoveries and causal relationships require further investigation.
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spelling doaj-art-0eb42c7a6a5b4e2dba7e99b3fdb46a972025-08-20T02:09:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-06-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15442661544266Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020Pengwei Lai0Xingyun Xie1Wen Zeng2Weiwen Cheng3Xinyuan Liu4He Long5Taierqi Peng6Antong Hu7Xiaohong Du8The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, ChinaBackgroundAt present, the role of uric acid in mental disorders is receiving increasing attention, but its relationship with depression is controversial, and previous studies have corresponding limitations. The relationship between them has not been fully elucidated.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).MethodsThis cross-sectional study included participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2020. Use logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis to investigate the relationship between uric acid and depression. The interactions between variables were determined using subgroup analysis and described in a forest plot.Results37033 participants were included in this study, with depression patients accounting for 8.95%. The uric acid levels in the depression group and nondepression group were 317.69 μ mol/L and 323.34 μ mol/L, respectively, with the former having significantly lower uric acid levels than the latter. In the fully adjusted model, participants in the third tertile of uric acid showed a significant correlation (P=0.002, OR; 0.85 (0.76 ~ 0.94)) with a higher risk of depression compared to participants in the first tertile. There is an approximately linear negative correlation between uric acid and depression (P for nonlinear=0.360), and the OR value of uric acid is 1 when the uric acid value is 312.20 μ mol/L.ConclusionsCurrent research suggests that serum uric acid is associated with depression in American adults. More discoveries and causal relationships require further investigation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1544266/fulluric aciddepressionNHANESdisease markerpublic health
spellingShingle Pengwei Lai
Xingyun Xie
Wen Zeng
Weiwen Cheng
Xinyuan Liu
He Long
Taierqi Peng
Antong Hu
Xiaohong Du
Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020
Frontiers in Psychiatry
uric acid
depression
NHANES
disease marker
public health
title Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020
title_full Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020
title_fullStr Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020
title_full_unstemmed Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020
title_short Relationship between uric acid and depression in American adults: findings from NHANES, 2005-2020
title_sort relationship between uric acid and depression in american adults findings from nhanes 2005 2020
topic uric acid
depression
NHANES
disease marker
public health
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1544266/full
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