Association between Visceral Adiposity Index and Hyperuricemia among Steelworkers: The Moderating Effects of Drinking...

Steelworkers are more likely to have a higher prevalence of hyperuricemia due to their exposure to special occupational factors and dietary habits. The interrelationships of visceral adiposity index (VAI), hyperuricemia, and drinking tea remain uncertain. This study aimed to assess the association between VAI and hyperuricemia among steelworkers, and if drinking tea modified this association.

A total of 9928 steelworkers from Hunan Hualing Xiangtan Iron and Steel Company participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants completed a questionnaire, received anthropometric measurements, and provided blood samples for biochemical testing. Three logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between VAI and hyperuricemia.

In this study, the prevalence of hyperuricemia was approximately 23.74% (males: 24.41%; females: 20.63%), and a positive correlation between VAI and hyperuricemia risk was observed. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the risk of hyperuricemia increased 1.76 times (95% CI: 1.64-1.89) and 2.13 times (95% CI: 1.76-2.57) with the increase of ln VAI in males and females, respectively. For males, compared to quartile 1, the risk of hyperuricemia in the second, third, and fourth quartile of VAI were 1.75 (95% CI: 1.11-2.71), 2.56 (95% CI: 1.67-3.93) and 4.89 (95% CI: 3.22-7.43). For females, compared to quartile 1, the risk of hyperuricemia in the second, third, and fourth quartile of VAI were 1.99 (95% CI: 1.40-2.82), 2.92 (95% CI: 1.96-4.34) and 4.51 (95% CI: 2.89-7.02). Additionally, our study found that, compared with not consuming tea, drinking tea could reduce uric acid levels by 0.014 in male steelworkers (t = -2.051, p = 0.040), 0.020 in workers consuming smoked food (t = -2.569, p = 0.010), and 0.022 in workers consuming pickled food (t = -2.764, p = 0.006).

In conclusion, VAI is positively correlated with hyperuricemia in steelworkers. Drinking tea may lower uric acid levels in male steelworkers and steelworkers who prefer smoked and pickled foods.