Supplements
quercetin decreases serum uric acid
In plain terms: Does quercetin lower uric acid, and could it help gout?
Leans support Supplements 🔬 Includes disconfirming
Part of: 🧪 quercetin
RefutedContestedStrong support
consensus score 0.57
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)
MechanismIn-vitroAnimalObservationalRCTMeta-analysis
How the studies fall
10 support 1 contradict 0 tested null 4 mixed · 15 sources, 11 independent groups
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, Bu F, Huang L, Xu W, Wang W, Wu Q 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, Rabbani F, Tareen M, Nigar R, Khan A, Zerbinati N, Tanda ML, Cazzaniga M, Bertuccioli A, Falasca P, Damiani G, Villanova N 2025 · Frontiers in nutrition | 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, Chen Y, Luo T, Ma G, Zhong Y, Wu A, Peng S, Liao C, Zhang H, Zhang C, Cao L 2026 · Food & function | 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, Ge Z, Chen X, Zhong S, Li L, Xu W, Li B, Chen S, Lv G 2025 · Pharmacological research | 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, Azzoz RM, Soliman SM, Khalil WM, Ali SA 2026 · Scientific reports | 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, Dai J, Ji S, Yang Y, Zuo A, Xu S, Fang W, Li D, You Y, Jiang Z, Wu C, Kwan HY, Zhao X, Liu Y 2025 · Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology | 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, Song C, Ma J, Cui J, Zhan J, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Zhu Z, Du X 2025 · Chemical biology & drug design | 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, Yue J, Tang Q, Cheng KW, Chen F, Peng M, Zhou Q, Wang M 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, Zixin C, Hang Q 2026 · Journal of health, population, and nutrition | 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, Gul M, Bulut N, Zayman E, Demirtas S, Karaaslan E, Aylaz B, Bag HG, Erdemli ME 2026 · Journal of biochemical and molecular toxicology | 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, Mao J, Wang L, Wang J, Zhao L, Shi C, Zhao X 2025 · Natural product research | 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, Williamson G 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, Sun K, Lai S, Liu X, Ge Y, Wang P, Wang B, Li Y, Yu XA 2026 · Frontiers in pharmacology | 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, Yang Q, Wang S, Wang T, Pan L, Wang X, Chi Y, Jin Z 2025 · Frontiers in pharmacology | 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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