Can A Few Cherries A Day Keep Gout Away?

Content

• Recipe For Gout? Cherries And Water
• Tart Cherry Juice Can Help You Sleep Better, Plus 3 More Reasons You Should Buy Some
• Gout And Natural Home Remedies
• Daytona Beach Police Officer Shot In The Head, Suspect Still At Large
• Osteoarthritis
• Cheers To Cherries!

The negative effects of gout are primarily caused by an underlying build up of monosodium urate crystallines within the joints that contribute to attacks that can last anywhere from a couple of days to a series of weeks . People are becoming more and more aware of what they are eating; paying close attention to the health benefits of their food and how they can heal or prevent diseases with the food they are consuming. Figure 1 illustrates the results of this systematic review. Following a thorough review of all candidate papers, we identified a total of six studies that addressed the relationship between cherry intake and gout. Among the studies in this paper, five were conducted in the United States and one was conducted in the United Kingdom .

Some studies noted that a few participants experienced mild gastrointestinal upset and loose stools. One study mentioned a participant with an allergic reaction to tart cherry juice. Overall, no side effects or minimal side effects were seen in the majority of people when taking tart cherry juice. Tart cherry juice contains anthocyanins, which are anti-inflammatory compounds responsible for the red, orange, blue, and purple colors of fruits and vegetables. This substance may help to combat some chronic inflammatory diseases, including arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Many medications used to treat arthritis target inflammation as a way to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.

Recipe For Gout? Cherries And Water

In previous studies at other laboratories, scientists analyzed extracts from sweet or tart cherries in vitro to learn more about the fruit's potential health-promoting properties. In contrast to these test-tube experiments, the California study is apparently the first to test key inflammatory disease indicators, or markers, in blood samples from healthy volunteers who were fed precise amounts of fresh Bing cherries. Reported in a 2003 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the California investigation paved the way for a recent followup study at the Davis center. Several months ago, I felt my gout flaring up in my big toe.

His group’s preliminary investigation, published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, is just the first step in understanding the link between eating cherries and gout risk, he told Reuters Health. Gout is a chronic condition that seems to get very little respect. That is probably because a diet high in purines from meat, shellfish and beer can trigger attacks . So can many fruit juices and sugar-sweetened beverages (JAMA, Nov. 24, 2010). On the other hand, cherries for gout actually have been studied and found helpful. Although diet advice is a mainstay of gout treatment, mostly it has focused on avoiding purines.

Tart Cherry Juice Can Help You Sleep Better, Plus 3 More Reasons You Should Buy Some

Fortunately, evidence demonstrates that tart cherries reverse some of the most prominent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high cholesterol, high triglycerides,20 and excess weight. Dietary changes can improve quality of life for patients with gout—provided that they stick with it. Ideally, gout patients should limit alcohol consumption, and avoid foods rich in purines, such as red meats, anchovies, yeast, and organ meats. Heavy consumption of purine-rich foods raise levels of uric acid, which is the main culprit in development of gout. Eating cherries was associated with a 35% lower risk of having a gout attack; taking cherry extract was associated with a 45% risk reduction.

Is Chicken OK for gout?

Meats like fish, chicken, and red meat are fine in moderation (around 4 to 6 ounces per day). Vegetables: You may see veggies like spinach and asparagus on the high-purine list, but studies show they don't raise your risk of gout or gout attacks.

Montmorency tart cherries to help speed the recovery process and enhance performance. Collectively, evidence is accumulating indicating the efficacy of tart cherry products to reduce sUA and inhibit inflammatory processes via, in part, inhibition of enzymatic activities. Description of recruitment, enrollment, and completion of the tart cherry juice study. Three months after being free of flare-ups, they were asked to answer the same questions.

You can read more about cherry nutrition and the health benefits of cherries in this post and this post. And for those that can’t get enough of this superfood, read our post about freezing cherries so that you can enjoy the fruit all year long. The study found plasma urate levels in participants to decrease significantly over the 5 hours that followed their cherry breakfast.

How can I get rid of inflammation fast?

12 Easy Ways to Reduce Inflammation Overnight 1. Eat a salad every day. Keep a package or two of leafy greens on hand to toss in your lunch bag or on your dinner plate.
2. Avoid getting hangry.
3. Go to bed.
4. Spice things up.
5. Take a break from alcohol.
6. Swap one coffee for green tea.
7. Be gentle to your gut.
8. Consider a fast.

This phytonutrient, at type of flavonoid, is also behind the potential health-promoting properties of tart cherries. More than 50 studies have examined the potential health benefits of tart cherries, and the research is continuing. Lets take a look at the many health reasons to eat more tart cherries.

That medicinal amount is 16 ounces, or two 8-ounce bottles, of 100% fresh tart cherry juice a day, which is the equivalent of eating 100 tart cherries. "That dose has been used to good effect in multiple studies," McHugh says. He adds, "In practice, if taking the drink habitually, one bottle may suffice." According to a 1950 study of 12 people with gout, eating one-half pound of cherries or drinking an equivalent amount of cherry juice prevented attacks of gout. Black, sweet yellow, and red sour cherries were all effective. Since that study, there have been many anecdotal reports of cherry juice as an effective treatment for the pain and inflammation of gout.

A 2012 study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism found that patients with gout who consumed cherries over a two-day period (yes, just two days!) showed a 35% lower risk of gout attacks compared to their fruit wary counterparts. In addition, the risk of gout flares was 75 per cent lower when cherry intake was combined with the uric-acid reducing drug, allopurinol. And if you are wondering if you will have to start your own cherry farm, the participants consumed just ½ cup (or cherries) up to three times per day. "Increased uric acid in the blood is what has been found to lead to very painful episodes of a gout attack," says Toby Amidor, RD, and author of The Family Immunity Cookbook ($25, Amazon). A preliminary study found that eating about 2 cups of fresh pitted cherries after an overnight fast showed a 15% reduction in uric acid levels in healthy women. Previous research reports that 8.3 million adults in the U.S. suffer with gout, an inflammatory arthritis triggered by a crystallization of uric acid within the joints that causes excruciating pain and swelling.

Factors associated with increased serum uric acid levels, such as increased alcohol consumption and purine intake, or use of diuretics, were associated with increased risk for recurrent gout attacks. With the small number of participants in these few studies and the short-term follow-up, along with the mixed results, larger long-term studies are warranted to clarify the effects of tart cherry juice in people with gout. Tart cherry juice was evaluated for its ability to decrease symptoms and inflammatory markers in people with osteoarthritis in a 2012 study. Study participants drank 10.5 ounces of Montmorency cherry juice or placebo drink twice daily for three weeks. At the end of the study, the cherry juice group had statistically significant decreased levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. Tart cherry juice also has high concentrations of other polyphenols, including flavonoids.

All of these nutritional compounds make tart cherry juice a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory food and potential adjunct therapy for people with arthritis and gout. Although a few studies have suggested that drinking tart juice reduces uric acid levels and, in turn, lowers the risk of having a gout flare, a new study in the journal Rheumatology found no such benefits. Furthermore, there are at present an insufficient number of studies presenting the quantitative result required to conduct effective meta-analysis.

Tart cherries seem to help with all three due to the concentrated amounts of anthocyanins inside. Studies suggest Montmorency tart cherry juice has the ability to reduce muscle pain and weakness after bouts of intense strength training, as well as after long-distance running. In test tube studies, quercetin, a flavonoid, has inhibited an enzyme involved in the production of uric acid in the body. In a double-blind trial, supplementation with 500 mg of quercetin once a day for 4 weeks significantly decreased blood levels of uric acid by an average of 8% in men with uric acid levels in the high-normal range.

But Dr Zhang said there are still a lot of questions to answer and more studies to be done, including a randomised controlled trial. Having more than one alcoholic drink per day, particularly beer, can contribute to gout flare-ups. At the 3-hour monitoring interval, C-reactive protein and nitric oxide were somewhat lower than at the start of the study. "Even though these levels were not significantly lower, the trend was in the right direction and so is of interest," notes Kelley. Under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, FDA regulations state that we are not allowed to provide any diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease information. For over a decade, our team has combed through thousands of research articles published in reputable journals.

Avoid alcohol during gout attacks, and limit alcohol, especially beer, between attacks. Limit or avoid sugar-sweetened foods such as sweetened cereals, bakery goods and candies. But many agree that for overall health, and as a possible tool in managing gout and OA pain, a handful of cherries, especially a tart variety such as Montmorency, or a glass of cherry juice every day may be beneficial.