Uric Acid

Uric Acid SAliVA Test Strips

Saliva Test for Dehydration and MEtabolic Concerning Foods

Uric Acid, an emerging biomarker for the onset of unhealthy dietary lifestyle

Persistent and elevated levels of uric acid is an early sign for metabolic problems.  Proper hydration and replacing sugar-ladden and prine-rich foods with plant-based diets may be an effective way to combat uric acid.

Plant-based and alkalinizing foods reduces uric acid

In many ways similar to the clinically-validated Saliva Nitric Oxide Test Strips which provokes us to eat heart-healthy, nitric oxide-potent foods, Saliva Uric Acid Test Strips is designed to help us shy away from foods that elevate uric acid levels, such as purine-rich foods, alcohol, and excessive consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)-loaded sodas and snacks, which can contribute to weight gain and long-term cardiovascular complications.

Such complications are clustered under cardio-metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors including abdominal obesity, hypertension, impaired fasting blood glucose, high levels of triglycerides, and low levels of HDL that, collectively, puts us at risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Replacing purine-rich foods and alcohol consumption with plant-based diets, such as the Mediterranean, MIND, and DASH Diet and rehydrating with alkalinizing foods, including lemon juice and apple cider vinegar,  are believed to effective natural remedies to consider.   Certain vegetables & fruits, such as, tart cherry and celery seed are reportedly effective at clearing uric acid. 

MyFitStrip Saliva Uric Acid Test Strips
Start your day by testing for your uric acid with MyFitStrip.  If elevated, consider rehydration, add tart cherry to your menu, and shy away from excessive consumption of meats, alcohol, and HFCS-loaded juices and snacks.  Test througout the day.

WEllness is personal

Within 10-seconds of testing, MyFitStrip will give you actionable feedback.  Testing is easy and results are instant

Frequently asked questions -

Is there a correlation between saliva and serum uric acid?

A significant positive correlation between the concentrations of uric acid in saliva and blood has been established by multiple, independent labs.  Clinical correlates have shown that serum uric acid is correlated with saliva uric acid that is associated with metabolic concerns (Soukup et al. 2102).  

In a report on 78 volunteers between the ages of 18-65, Soukup et al (2012) observed a linear relationship between salivary and serum uric acid concentrations and a significant elevation in salivary uric acid concentration, independent of salivary flow rate, in patients with metabolic syndrome (see figure).  Of particular significance was the correlation seen between salivary uric acid and a number of markers reflective of poor dietary lifestyle.   

Serum uric acid concentration is directly proportional to salivary uric acid concentration. (Owen-Smith, B. et al. 1998. Lancet 351:1932; Ping, C et al. 2013. J Cent South Univ (Med Sci) 38:1260; Schermann et al. 1977. Ann Biol Clin 35:467; Soukup et al. 2102. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome 4: 14; Blicharz et al. 2008. Clinical Chemistry 54: 1473; Deminice et al., 2010. Int J Sports Med 31: 599; Al-Rawi et al., 2008. J Med 7: 2; Passos et al., 2012. J. Biosensor & Bioelectronics 3:5; Alessandro et al. 2011. Clin Biochem 44:1440; Shibasaki et al. 2012. Metabolomics 8:484).  

Total body uric acid is a balance between production and elimination.  Approximately 2/3 of uric acid produced each day is excreted in urine and 1/3 eliminated directly in saliva and intestinal secretion.  Owen-Smith et al (1998) first suggested salivary uric acid sampling as a non-invasive indicator for monitoring purine metabolism.  A linear relationship was observed between serum and saliva uric acid.  (Owen-Smith et al. 1998).  
Similarly, Schermann et al. (1977) demonstrated that salivary secretion is predictive of serum concentrations in both normal and hyperuricemic subjects.
Ping et al. (2013) reported a correlation coefficient between serum and saliva of 0.948 (p<0.05) further reinforcing similar observations of Goll and Mookerjee (1978), Blicharz et al. (2008), Passos et al. (2012).   
Based on 191 participants, Shibasaki et al. (2012) independently confirmed a positive correlation between the uric acid concentrations in serum and saliva (r = 0.503, P < 0.01) with serum levels of 6.31±0.24 mg/dl (375±14.28 uM) proportionally higher by a factor of 1.8 to saliva levels of 3.38±0.21 mg/dl (201±12.49 uM).   When subjects were divided into two groups based on serum levels less (Normal) than and greater (Elevated) than 7 mg/dl (416 uM), a similar pattern emerged as to the ratio of serum-to-saliva concentration in Normal (1.79) and Elevated (1.94) within each cohort.

Why monitor saliva uric acid throughout the day?

Using a non-invasive, self-check saliva-based testing approach could help overcome barriers to regular screening and may improve adherence to dietary and behavioral treatment programs.

What is saliva uric acid a marker for?

Salivary uric acid has displayed potential as an emerging biomarker for a number of concerning dietary lifestyle trends (Guan et al., 2004, Guan et al., 2005, Salian et al., 2015, Giebultowicz et al., 2011, Soukup et al. 2102, Al-Rawi et al., 2011, Zhao et al., 2015, Shibasaki et al., 2015), including oxidative stress produced by smoking and periodontitis (Fatima et al, 2016, Banu et al., 2015).   Persistent, elevated uric acid is emerging as a early warning for the early onset of unhealthy dietary choice.   At a minimum, use the strips to remind you to hydrate and incorporate plant-based foods into your daily and shy away from HCFS and excessive alcohol.

Is MyFitStrip a FDA registered medical device?

MyFitStrips are registered with the FDA as a Class 1 Medical Device.   MyFitStrips are not intended to diagnose, but as a simple reminder to rehydrate and try to maintain a diet low in HFCS and high in plant-based foods that may aid in the clearance of elevated uric acid. 

If my uric acid levels are persistently elevated, what should I consider?

Replacing purine-rich foods, alcohol and HFCS consumption with plant-based foods and diets, such as the Mediterranean, MIND, and DASH Diet are a potential remedy to keep uric acid in balance.   Rehydrating with alkalinizing drinks, such as water with lemon juice have been suggested to curb elevated levels.   Leafy green vegetrables are reportedly effective natural remedies to consider.   If saliva levels are persistently elevated, please do share this observation with your healthcare provider.

Learn More... relevant clinical studies

Y.Q. Guan, Q.C. Chu, J.N. Ye, Determination of uric acid in human saliva by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection: potential application in fast diagnosis of gout.  Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 380 (2004) 913–917.

Y.Q. Guan, T. Wu, J.N. Ye, Determination of uric acid and p-aminohippuric acid" "in human saliva and urine using capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection − potential application in fast diagnosis of renal disease.   J. Chromatogr. B 821 (2005) 229–234.
V. Salian, F. Demeri, S. Kumari, Estimation of salivary nitric oxide and uric acid levels in oral squamous cell carcinoma and healthy controls.   Clin. Cancer Invest. J. 4 (2015) 516.
J. Giebultowicz, P. Wroczynski, D. Samolczyk-Wanyura, Comparison of antioxidant enzymes activity and the concentration of uric acid in the saliva of patients with oral cavity cancer, odontogenic cysts and healthy subjects.   J. Oral Pathol. Med. 40 (2011) 726–730.
5. M. Soukup, I. Biesiada, A. Henderson, B. Idowu, D. Rodeback, L. Ridpath, et al., Salivary uric acid as a noninvasive biomarker of metabolic syndrome. Diabetol. Metab. Syndr. 4 (2012) 14.
K. Choroman´ ska, B. Choroman´ ska, E. Da˛ browska, W. Ba˛ czek, P. Mys´ liwiec, J. Dadan, et al., Saliva of obese patients? Postepy Hig. Med. Dosw. 69 (2015).
N.H. Al-Rawi, Oxidative stress, antioxidant status and lipid proﬁle in the saliva of type 2 diabetics.  Diab. Vasc. Dis. Res. 8 (2011) 22–28.
J. Zhao, Y. Huang, Salivary uric acid as a noninvasive biomarker for monitoring the efﬁcacy of urate-lowering therapy in a patient with chronic gouty arthropathy.  Clin. Chim. Acta 450 (2015) 115–120.
K. Shibasaki, M. Kimura, R. Ikarashi, A. Yamaguchi, T. Watanabe, Uric acid concentration in saliva and its changes with the patients receiving treatment for hyperuricemia. Metabolomics 8 (2012) 484–491.
G. Fatima, R.B. Uppin, S. Kasagani, R. Tapshetty, A. Rao, Comparison of salivary uric acid level among healthy individuals without periodontitis with that of smokers and non-smokers with periodontitis.   J. Adv. Oral Res. 7 (2016) 24–28.
S. Banu, N.R. Jabir, R. Mohan, N.C. Manjunath, M.A. Kamal, K.R. Kumar, et al., Correlation of Toll-like receptor 4, interleukin-18, transaminases, and uric acid in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy adults.   J. Periodontol. 86 (2015) 431–439.

Riis JL, et al. (2018). The validity, stability, and utility of measuring uric acid in saliva. Biomark Med. 12(6):583-596.

Woerner J. (2019). Salivary uric acid: Associations with resting and reactive blood pressure response to social evaluative stress in healthy African Americans. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 101: 19-26.

Galassi FM, Borghi C. (2015). A brief history of uric acid: From gout to cardiovascular risk factor. Eur J Intern Med, 26(5), 373.

Pohanka M. (2014). Alzheimer’s disease and oxidative stress: a review. Curr Med Chem, 21(3), 356-64.

Goodman AM, et al. (2016). The hippocampal response to psychosocial stress varies with salivary uric acid level. Neuroscience. 339:396-401.

Lu N, Dubreuil M, Zhang Y, Neogi T, Rai SK, Ascherio A, et al. (2016). Gout and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: a population-based, BMI-matched cohort study. Ann Rheum Dis, 75(3): 547-51.

Lippi G, Montagnana M, Franchini M, Favaloro EJ, Targher G. (2008). The paradoxical relationship between serum uric acid and cardiovascular disease. Clin Chim Acta, 392(1-2), 1-7.

Xia Y, Peng C, Zhou Z, Cheng P, Sun L, Peng Y, et al. (2012). [Clinical significance of saliva urea, creatinine, and uric acid levels in patients with chronic kidney disease]. Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban, 37(11), 1171-6.

Nunes LA, Brenzikofer R, Macedo DV. (2011). Reference intervals for saliva analytes collected by a standardized method in a physically active population. Clin Biochem, 44(17-18), 1440-4.

Martínez AD, et al. (2017). Association between body mass index and salivary uric acid among Mexican-origin infants, youth and adults: Gender and developmental differences. Dev Psychobiol. 59(2):225-234.

Goll RD, Mookerjee BK. (1978). Correlation of biochemical parameters in serum and saliva in chronic azotemic patients and patients on chronic hemodialysis. J Dial, 2(4), 399-44.

Glantzounis GK, Tsimoyiannis EC, Kappas AM, Galaris DA. (2005). Uric acid and oxidative stress. Curr Pharm Des, 11(32), 4145-51.

Ames BN, Cathcart R, Schwiers E, Hochstein P. (1981). Uric acid provides an antioxidant defense in humans against oxidant- and radical-caused aging and cancer: a hypothesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 78(11):6858-62.

Rees F, Hui M, Doherty M. (2014). Optimizing current treatment of gout. Nat Rev Rheumatol, 10(5), 271-83.