In a new research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta, it showed that women drinking more than one serving of sugary soda or orange juice per day are at an increased risk for developing gout as they grow older.

The research is being published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says the fructose present in these drinks can increase the production of uric acid. It is known that gout occurs when uric acid crystals get deposited in the joints and surrounding tissues. This causes severe pain and swelling in the joints and can affect the big toe, knee, and ankle joints. Gout was thought to occur more in overweight men, but this research puts it in a different light.

The researchers studied some 78,906 women and their gout developing pattern over nearly 22 years. It showed that 778 women developed gout due to increased drinking of sweetened beverages. The women who had soda or orange juice a day were 74 percent more likely to develop gout, the study found. The researchers said that women with gut should cut down on sugary drinks.

However the American Beverage Association, a trade group based in Washington, D.C. brought out the point that gout was more prominent due to foods and beverages high in purines such as alcohol, beer, and certain meats, whereas orange juice and soda do not contain purines, so the research does not give the true picture.