Supplements
quercetin decreases serum uric acid
In plain terms: Does quercetin lower uric acid, and could it help gout?
Part of: 🧪 quercetin
One proper trial says yes, modestly, at 500 mg a day for four weeks in healthy men with high-normal levels. But nobody has tested it in people who actually have gout or high uric acid, and no one has shown it prevents a single flare.
📅 Last reviewed: 2026-07-26 ⓘ
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: Human trials (RCT / n-of-1)
How the studies fall
What the evidence shows
One real trial, consistent rodents, and a gap where the clinical evidence should be. A randomised crossover RCT in 22 healthy men with high-normal urate (500 mg/d, 4 weeks) lowered serum urate by 26.5 umol/L (p=0.008) — a genuine result, but small, single-site, and in people who did not have hyperuricaemia or gout.
The evidence (15)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feng X et al 2022 · European journal of pharmacology | animal | supports | moderate | Meta-analysis of 20 animal studies (378 rats/mice) with diabetic nephropathy found quercetin significantly improved serum uric acid along with renal index, urine protein/albumin and creatinine (though creatinine clearance was unaffected); n |
| Di Pierro F et al 2025 · study_type: observational | observational | mixed | moderate | Three non-randomized, real-life Italian clinical cohorts given Quercetin Phytosome 400 mg/day: healthy adults (n=164 total) saw UA fall 15.2% (men)/13.8% (women) over 90 days vs no change in a probiotic-comparator arm; 22 mildly hyperuricem TEMPERED: non-randomised, unblinded, manufacturer-run real-world cohorts of a branded product — cannot carry the human sign for this claim on its own. |
| Cai S et al 2026 · study_type: animal | animal | mixed | low | In potassium-oxonate/adenine hyperuricemic rats, an extract of 5 flavonoids (incl. quercetin) was tested vs benzbromarone; the abstract credits phlorizin and trilobatin -- not quercetin -- as the flavonoids that 'significantly reduced serum |
| Bian X et al 2025 · study_type: animal | animal | supports | low | Meta-analysis of preclinical rodent hyperuricemia studies: quercetin significantly lowered creatinine (SMD -4.29) and BUN (SMD -3.08) vs positive control; narratively claims it 'lowers uric acid' via multiple pathways but reports no pooled |
| El-Hady AMA et al 2026 · study_type: animal | animal | supports | low | In gamma-irradiated male rats, oral quercetin alone (1.25 g/kg/day, ~7 weeks with a break) 'notably improved kidney function markers' including serum uric acid vs irradiated controls; no numeric UA value given. Secondary marker in a radiati |
| Peng B et al 2025 · study_type: animal | animal | mixed | moderate | In a spontaneous hyperuricemia rat model (Uox-/-), quercetin treatment significantly reduced serum uric acid, creatinine and BUN alongside improved gut dysbiosis and reduced gut-derived uremic toxins (dose-dependent, high-dose stronger). An |
| Meng Q et al 2025 · study_type: animal | animal | supports | low | In potassium-oxonate+ethambutol hyperuricemic mice and MSU-induced gouty-arthritis mice, quercetin inhibited ankle swelling, serum TNF-a/IL-1b/IL-6, and 'UA production' via NLRP3/NF-kB inhibition; no numeric UA value given. Animal-only, gou |
| Hu T et al 2022 · Food & function | animal | contradicts | moderate | Systematic review/meta-analysis of 20 animal (diabetic nephropathy) studies found quercetin significantly improved renal index, creatinine, BUN, urine protein/albumin and oxidative/inflammatory markers, but explicitly reported NO significan |
| Jingjing Z et al 2026 · study_type: animal | animal | supports | low | Meta-analysis of 17 rodent hyperuricemia studies: quercetin supplementation significantly reduced serum uric acid, creatinine, FEur and BUN vs control (p<0.05), but authors flag high heterogeneity and variable risk of bias. Animal models on |
| Erdemli Z et al 2026 · study_type: animal | animal | supports | low | In tartrazine-induced nephrotoxic Wistar rats (n=8/group, 1 month), serum uric acid was elevated by tartrazine and 'improved' with quercetin co-administration; no numeric UA value given. Secondary kidney-injury marker in a toxin model, not |
| Ju L et al 2025 · study_type: animal | animal | supports | moderate | In a mouse hyperuricemia model, both plain quercetin and a phospholipid-complexed quercetin (179-440x higher solubility) significantly lowered serum uric acid, creatinine, BUN and xanthine oxidase vs controls, with the phospholipid complex |
| Shi Y et al 2016 · The British journal of nutrition | RCT | supports | moderate | RCT, n=22 healthy males with baseline plasma urate 339(SD 51) µmol/L ('pre-hyperuricaemic' but still healthy range), 500 mg/d quercetin vs placebo for 4 weeks (cross-over, 4-wk washout): plasma uric acid fell -26.5 µmol/L (95% CI -45.5,-7.6 |
| Liu G et al 2026 · study_type: mechanism | mechanism | supports | low | In-vitro fluorescent enzyme-inhibition screening (no uric-acid measurement) identified quercetin-3-sambubioside, hyperoside, isoquercitrin and astragalin (quercetin glycosides, not free quercetin) as xanthine-oxidase inhibitors from a TCM e |
| Liu H et al 2025 · study_type: animal | animal | supports | moderate | In adenine + potassium-oxonate hyperuricemic rats, quercetin (50 or 100 mg/kg) significantly reduced serum uric acid, creatinine, BUN and urinary ACR vs model controls, reportedly outperforming the active comparator febuxostat (5 mg/kg). An |
| d10-1186-s43014-026-00370-3 2026 · Food Production Processing and Nutrition | animal | mixed | low | In a mouse hyperuricemia model, processed Flos Sophorae Immaturus polyphenols (quercetin-enriched by ultrasound-heating) inhibited xanthine oxidase/adenosine deaminase and alleviated hyperuricemia; quercetin specifically 'exhibited better a |
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Educational only, not medical advice. Grades and scores reflect published evidence weighted by study design and quality; see the methodology.