Uric acid metabolism in starvation.

All subjects were obese and were admitted to hospital for therapeutic starvation. The majority were female, insufficient males being included to allow a between-sex comparison. After I to 2 days on a normal ward diet when base-line values were obtained, subjects underwent 14 days of total starvation (Gilliland, 1968). One group of nine subjects was given allopurinol in a dose of 200 mg. twice daily. The other group of nineteen subjects was not given any drugs during the course of the starvation period. These are referred to as the allopurinol and control groups respectively. Daily morning specimens of serum were collected for measurement of uric acid concentration, and urines were collected for measurement of 24-hour uric acid excretion.