Allopurinol & Weight Change Research
Will allopurinol change your body weight? Read these weight change facts.
Many allopurinol patients worry about weight loss. With even more worried about weight gain. But it is not a topic that attracts much research. However, I've reviewed 5 studies that give some facts about allopurinol and weight change. So you can discuss relevant studies with your doctor. Then agree on a plan to resolve your weight concerns during allopurinol treatment.
Allopurinol & Weight Change in Animals
I reviewed 3 studies of allopurinol and weight change in animals:
Allopurinol & Weight Change in Rats
SUZUKI, Y., SUDO, J.I. and TANABE, T., 1984. Allopurinol toxicity: its toxic organ-specificity between the liver and the kidney in the rat. The Journal of Toxicological Sciences, 9(4), pp.343-351.
My first study compared weight change at different doses of allopurinol. Compared to no allopurinol. Resulting in no significant weight change at lower doses. However, rats lost body weight at high doses. Which the researchers suggest could be due to toxicity of high-dose allopurinol.
Allopurinol & Weight Change in Chickens
Klandorf, H., Rathore, D.S., Iqbal, M., Shi, X. and Van Dyke, K., 2001. Accelerated tissue aging and increased oxidative stress in broiler chickens fed allopurinol. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology, 129(2), pp.93-104.
My second study considered allopurinol in chickens. Using groups that were either diet-restricted or able to eat freely. In both groups, allopurinol reduced body weight.
Allopurinol & Weight Change in Pigs
Gieling, E.T., Antonides, A., Fink-Gremmels, J., Ter Haar, K., Kuller, W.I., Meijer, E., Nordquist, R.E., Stouten, J.M., Zeinstra, E. and van der Staay, F.J., 2014. Chronic allopurinol treatment during the last trimester of pregnancy in sows: effects on low and normal birth weight offspring. PLoS One, 9(1), p.e86396.
My third study considers allopurinol in pregnant sows. Particularly the effects on piglet birth weight. Concluding that allopurinol treatment in sows has no effect on piglet birth weight. However, low-birth-weight piglets with sows taking allopurinol recovered from underweight problems better than untreated pigs.
Allopurinol & Weight Change in Humans
There is very little research into the effects of allopurinol on the weight of human gout patients. So I keep looking for incidental data about weight change in other allopurinol studies. So far, I've found 2…
Allopurinol & Weight Gain
Perez-Pozo, S.E., Schold, J., Nakagawa, T., Sánchez-Lozada, L.G., Johnson, R.J. and Lillo, J.L., 2010. Excessive fructose intake induces the features of metabolic syndrome in healthy adult men: role of uric acid in the hypertensive response. International journal of obesity, 34(3), pp.454-461.
My first human study investigates if allopurinol can help reduce some bad effects of high-fructose diet. Being the report from clinical trial NCT00639756. Which had a secondary outcome of measuring the effects of allopurinol on weight gain.
There is very little information in this report about weight change. Except a note that fructose supplementation does cause weight gain and increased BMI. Also, Table 4 in the report shows that the allopurinol treated group had slightly higher weight gain with no change in BMI.
Allopurinol & Weight Loss
Nakagomi, A., Saiki, Y., Noma, S., Kohashi, K., Morisawa, T., Kosugi, M., Kusama, Y., Atarashi, H. and Shimizu, W., 2015. Effects of febuxostat and allopurinol on the inflammation and cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients with hyperuricemia. IJC Metabolic & Endocrine, 8, pp.46-55.
My final study compares allopurinol with febuxostat in gout patients with chronic heart failure. So it isn't specifically about weight gain. Also, it is limited to a specific group of gout patients with heart disease. However, Table 2 in the report includes BMI (body mass index) data at baseline and after 1 year of allopurinol or febuxostat. Resulting in a 0.9% reduction in BMI for febuxostat patients. And a corresponding allopurinol weight loss of -1.1% as measured by BMI reduction.
Your Allopurinol Weight Change Story
Which aspects of allopurinol weight change are you interested in? How do you think allopurinol might change your body weight?
Please tell me your allopurinol weight change story in the Gout Forum.
Leave Allopurinol & Weight Change Research to browse the Gout and Uric Acid Science Blog. For more details, see Does Allopurinol Cause Weight Gain?