This prospective cohort study examined whether long-term dietary lignan intake (matairesinol, secoisolariciresinol, pinoresinol, lariciresinol) and specific whole grain foods were associated with incident gout in 122,680 adults from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Nurses' Health Study, using repeated food frequency questionnaires every 2–4 years.
Higher intakes of matairesinol (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.69–0.90) and secoisolariciresinol (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.68–0.89) were each linked to ~22% lower gout risk; whole grain cold breakfast cereals ≥1 serving/day showed the strongest association (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.53–0.73), with oatmeal/oat bran ≥2 servings/week (HR 0.78) and added bran ≥2 servings/week (HR 0.84) also protective; pinoresinol, lariciresinol, dark breads, and other cooked cereals showed no significant association.
Observational design limits causal inference; dietary data are self-reported via FFQ, subject to measurement error; residual confounding from other dietary or lifestyle factors cannot be excluded.
Encourage patients with gout or at risk for gout to increase whole grain cold cereals, oatmeal, and added bran in their diets. These foods—rich in specific lignans—were associated with meaningfully lower gout risk in two large cohorts.
