Scarcity of fruit millions of years ago could have caused loss of enzyme that prevents gout

(Medical Xpress)—Apes, including humans, lack an enzyme called uricase that breaks down uric acid. Because we lack uricase, we are predisposed to developing gout. After reconstructing ancient versions of the enzyme found in other mammals, Eric Gaucher of the Georgia Institute of Technology and his colleagues have concluded that apes lost the ability to produce uricase so they could better convert fructose, fruit sugar, to fat for survival when fruit was scarce. The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.