Gout Is No Longer the Disease Of Kings

Content

• What Effect Do Your Weight And Diet Have?
• What Is The Role Of Purines In Gout?
• Eat Less Meat
• Foods To Limit
• What You Eat Can Affect Your Feet: What You Need To Know About Gout

Not everyone who has high levels of uric acid will develop gout. Normally, uric acid dissolves and passes out of the body. Our immune system reacts to these crystals as a threat, and the result is painful inflammation with swelling, redness, heat, stiffness—and by all accounts, a great deal of pain. Most notably, cherries and cherry juice extract have been shown to decrease the likelihood of recurrent gout attacks.

Is cheese OK for gout?

Dairy Foods and Gout
Full-fat dairy products like whole milk and ice cream are often discouraged for people with gout. However, studies have shown that increasing the amount of dairy products you eat, including cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, may reduce your risk of developing gout.

It has been shown to inhibit xanthine oxidase, the enzyme needed to produce uric acid . Quercetin is a plant compound found in high levels in onions, tea, apples, and cherries. Overtime gout can worsen and cause the joints to become disfigured, making it harder to move them. Hyperuricemia results from uric acid overproduction, underexcretion, or a combination of the two. While medications are commonly prescribed for treating gout, diet plays an important role in preventing and treating gout.

What Effect Do Your Weight And Diet Have?

However, for people with gout, the uric acid builds up in the blood and hardens into small crystals. The crystals collect in the joints and under the skin, which causes gout. Studies have shown that the consumption of alcoholic drinks, especially beer, can cause the development and/or worsening of gout. The reason for this is that alcohol has a very high purine content, and beverages such as beer are rich in brewer’s yeast which increase the risk of a gout attack. Gout sufferers are generally advised to avoid full-fat dairy like whole milk, heavy cream, and ice cream, but low-fat dairy products may actually help prevent gout.

What Is The Role Of Purines In Gout?

Gout is incredibly painful, but did you know that there are certain foods that can make it even worse? Watch this video to learn which foods you definitely shouldn't eat if you have gout. Certain types of seafood are higher in purines than others, especially shellfish like shrimp, lobster and mussels.

In particular, large saltwater fish like tuna, swordfish, and marlin may have enough purines to provoke gout flares. However, the omega-3 content found in many fish has been found to potentially relieve the effects of fish purine. The dosage may be more than found naturally, and may require quality fish oil supplements. The most helpful carbs are found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Sweet potatoes, beans, apples, and popcorn can all be served in wholesome and delicious ways as part of a healthy gout diet.

It’s a good idea to drink lots of fluids -- 8 to 16 cups a day. Vitamin C also can help lower uric acid, but studies also show that the high fructose in OJ may boost uric acid levels, so drink it in moderation. Caffeinated coffee can cut uric acid, too, as long as you don’t overdo it. Following a gout diet can help limit uric acid production and increase its elimination. A gout diet isn't likely to lower the uric acid concentration in your blood enough to treat your gout without medication. But it may help decrease the number of attacks and limit their severity.

No More Doubts: 9 Foods That Help With Gout

Now, some foods have a much higher purine content than others. These are the foods that you want to limit or avoid altogether, since they can act as gout triggers. Gout is a painful form of arthritis caused by excess uric acid.

Purine compounds, whether produced in the body or from eating high-purine foods, can raise uric acid levels. Excess uric acid can produce uric acid crystals, which then build up in soft tissues and joints, causing the painful symptoms of gout. Dietary management focuses on reducing the amount of uric acid in the system and attaining and maintaining a healthy bodyweight.

Foods To Limit

It’s hard to avoid gout-causing foods sometimes, but preventing a painful flare-up is worth foregoing a hotdog or two in the end. It’s unclear why this relationship exists, but researchers believe that low vitamin D levels inhibit the excretion of uric acid, causing high levels in the blood. The DASH diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy, and nuts, and legumes while limiting sweets and foods high in saturated fats. For example, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet is associated with a lower risk of gout, whereas the Western diet is associated with a higher risk of gout .

Compounds found in some foods called purines break down in the body to form uric acid. So a diet for gout sufferers relies on foods with low levels of purine. Some high-purine foods or purine-producing foods to avoid include fried foods, alcohol, fatty foods, organ meats, herring, mackerel, scallops and high-fat snack foods such as chips. Avoiding purine-rich foods is only part of your gout treatment. Just be sure your weight loss is slow and steady — if you lose weight too rapidly, the amount of uric acid in your body may increase. Overall, the best diet is one based on foods that are low in fat and sugar and high in fiber.