Who Is Affected By Gout
Gout can affect anyone. It usually occurs earlier in men than women. It generally occurs after menopause in women. Men can be three times more likely than women to get it because they have higher levels of uric acid most of their lives. Women reach these uric acid levels after menopause.
People are more likely to get gout if they have:
- Obesity, or a lot of extra weight.
You are also more likely to develop gout if you:
- Consume a diet high in animal proteins
- Consume a significant amount of alcohol
- Are on water pills .
Cherries And Cherry Extract
A 2012 study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology showed that consumption of both cherries and cherry extract reduced the risk of gout attacks by about 35%. These findings were corroborated by a 2014 study that demonstrated that Montmorency tart cherry concentrate reduced blood levels of uric acid and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein.
Lose Excess Weight Or Maintain A Healthy Weight
Obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise helps reduce the risk of gout.3
Research evidence4 suggests that sudden, dramatic weight loss, such as after bariatric surgery, may increase the likelihood of a gout attack in the short term. In the long term, excess weight losssudden or gradualis an effective way to reduce risk.
Don’t Miss: What Is Best For Gout Pain
Best Way To Avoid Gout Attacks Is To Have A Best Gout Diet
Gout is a form of arthritis characterized by severe throbbing pain, inflammation, and redness in the big toe, knees and joints of wrists, fingers, shoulders, elbow, or ankle joint.
It is caused due to excessive uric acid in our blood which forms urate crystals and gets deposited in and around the joints. When not treated properly it causes tophaceous gout affecting our musculoskeletal system, diabetes, and heart disease.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications are used to control the symptoms of gout. However dietary precautions can help prevent it, as well as reduce its severity. Purine rich food items are related to gout flare-ups in our body as purines break down to produce uric acid. The food items that people should avoid or consume in moderate amounts to keep gout at bay include:
What Are Symptoms Of Gout
The large joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site for a gout attack, however, any other joint can be affected. Most commonly, other joints affected are the ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbows.
Patients with gout attacks suffer a rapid onset of pain in the affected joint followed by swelling, redness, and severe tenderness. Some experience pain so intense that even the light touch of a bed sheet on the joint is excruciating. These painful attacks can last from hours to several days. In cases of chronic inflammation, the attack may last for weeks. Unfortunately, patients with gout are at risk for repeated attacks of gouty arthritis.
Read Also: How To Use Coconut Oil For Gout
Managing A Gout Flare
Gout flares are unexpected and painful heres how to get a handle on them.
Few things in life are more painful than a gout flare, so if youre awakened in the wee hours by a joint that is tender, swollen, red and radiating heat, youll want to act fast. Heres what you can do when a gout flare starts to ease the pain of and reduce the risk of others.
Get Tested For Sleep Apnea
Untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of gout.12,13 Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes the body to take in less oxygen while sleeping, which in turn causes the body to produce more purines.12,14 Sleep apnea is typically treated with a continuous positive airway pressure machine or other device that increases oxygen intake while sleeping.
Don’t Miss: Is Clam Chowder Bad For Gout
Foods High In Purines
Foods that are high in a substance called purines create high levels of urate when theyre broken down in the body. It’s recommended that you have these foods in moderation to reduce your chances of gout attacks. Foods high in purines include:
- red meat and offal for example beef, kidneys, liver and sweetbreads
- oily fish anchovies, fish roes, herring, mackerel, sardines
- foods rich in yeast extracts Marmite, Bovril, Vegemite.
What Is The Best Thing To Drink If You Have Gout
With this in mind, you should try to cut out beer and stick to wine since it still does provide some health benefit if drank moderately.
Studies have shown that people who drank less than two wines per day got some protective effect though not statistically significant. This is because people who only drink wine tend to have healthier lifestyles compared to those who drink just beer. They eat healthily, exercise regularly, and smoke less compared to beer and liquor drinkers.
As for beer, you should know that most of the stuff you buy from the store probably contains harmful ingredients not reported on the label. This is because alcohol companies have lobbied the industry for years, giving them the ability to use unsafe ingredients in their formula without including them in the label.
For example, theres Newcastle beer contains coloring made from ammonia which is cancer-causing. Then theres Corona beer which contains GMO corn syrup. Its an evil substance similar to high fructose corn syrup which is metabolically risky for you. The fructose is absorbed immediately and goes directly to your liver. Any gout sufferer who has done his research will know that liver and digestive health are important factors in managing gout symptoms.
If you can, try to stay away from American beers since theyre filled with GMO and go for organic beers instead. Theyre brewed locally using organic ingredients and wont have as bad effects as more popular beers do.
You May Like: Is Eggplant Bad For Gout
Complementary And Alternative Medicines For Gout
Nearly a quarter of people with gout reported using some kind of complementary or alternative medicine in one study of 276 gout sufferers in New Zealand. That includes things like dietary or herbal supplements, vitamins, acupuncture, and massage therapy.
According to the study, published in 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, gout sufferers who used complementary and alternative therapies reported just as many gout flares after one year as patients who didnt use complementary or alternative medicine.
How Does A Doctor Diagnose Gout
If you have sudden or severe pain in a joint, you should talk to your primary care provider . Your PCP may send you to a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in gout and other kinds of arthritis.
Healthcare providers consider several things when confirming gout:
- Symptoms: The provider will ask you to describe your symptoms, how often they happen and how long they last.
- Physical examination: Your provider will examine the affected joint to look for swelling, redness and warmth.
- Blood work: A test can measure the amount of uric acid in your blood.
- Imaging tests: You may have pictures taken of the affected joint with X-rays, an ultrasound or MRI.
- Aspiration: The provider may use a needle to pull fluid from the joint. Using a microscope, a team member can look for uric acid crystals or a different problem .
Don’t Miss: Side Effects Of Gout Medication Allopurinol
Do Certain Foods Cause Gout
There are many misconceptions about diet and gout. For example it is commonly thought that foods such as citrus foods cause gout. There is no evidence that this is true. However several studies have shown that people with gout are more likely to eat certain foods. These foods tend to contain high levels of purines, a substance that can be made into uric acid in the body. Purine-rich foods include:
- meat particularly red meat and offal, such as liver, kidneys and heart
- seafood particularly shellfish, scallops, mussels, herring, mackerel, sardines and anchovies
- foods containing yeast such as Vegemite and beer.
Celery Or Celery Seeds
Celery is a food traditionally used to treat urinary issues. For gout, extract and seeds of the vegetable have become popular home remedies.
Experimental use is well-documented, though scientific research is scant. Its thought that celery may reduce inflammation.
Adequate celery amounts for treating gout arent documented. Try eating celery many times per day, especially raw celery sticks, juice, extract, or seeds.
If purchasing an extract or supplement, follow label directions closely.
Recommended Reading: Are Strawberries Good For Gout
How Does Food Affect Gout
If you have gout, certain foods may trigger an attack by raising your uric acid levels.
Trigger foods are commonly high in purines, a substance found naturally in foods. When you digest purines, your body makes uric acid as a waste product .
This is not a concern for healthy people, as they efficiently remove excess uric acid from the body.
However, people with gout cant efficiently remove excess uric acid. Thus, a high-purine diet may let uric acid accumulate and cause a gout attack (
10 ).
Foods that commonly trigger gout attacks include organ meats, red meats, seafood, alcohol and beer. They contain a moderate-to-high amount of purines .
However, there is one exception to this rule. Research shows that high-purine vegetables do not trigger gout attacks .
And interestingly, fructose and sugar-sweetened beverages can increase the risk of gout and gout attacks, even though theyre not purine-rich (
16 ).
For instance, a study including over 125,000 participants found that people who consumed the most fructose had a 62% higher risk of developing gout .
On the other hand, research shows that low-fat dairy products, soy products and vitamin C supplements may help prevent gout attacks by reducing blood uric acid levels (
Summary: Foods can either raise or lower your uric acid levels, depending on their purine content. However, fructose can raise your uric acid levels even though it is not purine-rich.
Does Fructose Cause Gout
Fructose is a sugar that is found in fruits and vegetables. It is also found in high levels in foods sweetened with corn syrup, such as bread, cereal, soft drinks and fruit juices. An American study found that men who drank five to six servings of fructose-sweetened soft drinks per week were more likely to have gout. However there is no research showing that fructose actually causes gout. Cutting down the amount of food artificially sweetened with high fructose corn syrup may be beneficial for your overall health. However naturally occurring fructose in fruit and vegetables also provides general health benefits and should not be completely avoided without advice from your doctor or dietitian.
Don’t Miss: What Does Gout Pain Feel Like In The Foot
Best Natural Remedies For Gout
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes a great deal of pain and discomfort in the joints. It can target any body part including the ears, wrists, knees, ankles, and even small joints in the hands. Those who suffer from gout have to deal with flare-ups that come in the form of inflammation, swelling, and tenderness in the joints.
This condition is caused by high levels are uric acid in the body, but is also linked with a lack of exercise, high alcohol consumption, stress, a high protein diet, and genetics. While it can be maintained, gout can also be linked with other health conditions, so proper medical attention is needed. In addition to medication and pharmaceuticals, there are many natural at-home remedies that can help relieve the symptoms of gout, including these
Whats The Best Way To Take Lab
Your body doesnt typically excrete enough uric acid on its own to minimize the risk of a gout attack. Lab-grade Chanca Piedra is that extra added push for your body to be able to not only flush out uric acid in the kidney and liver, but to also inhibit the formation of uric acid crystals. Chanca Piedra has also been shown to help with inflammation.
To dissolve uric acid crystals or to prevent them from forming altogether:
Keep in mind that each individual is unique and will respond differently to each treatment type. Always discuss any new treatments that you are considering with your physician prior to starting them so he/she can review with you any potential medication interactions and potential side effect concerns.
Recommended Reading: How To Rid Of Gout
The Link Between Gout And Alcohol
The link between gout and alcohol has long been assumed with doctors advising their gout patients to stay away from the beverage. Drinking alcohol regularly can cause some serious repercussions to gout sufferers, especially those who drink beer.
Due to indulgent lifestyles becoming more common, the number of gout cases over the years have increased too.
Beer
If beer is your alcohol of choice, consider lowering your intake as soon as possible.
Its been strongly associated with gout attacks as not only does it contain alcohol but it also has the highest level of purines than any other alcoholic beveragesomething that your doctor told you is the probable cause of your gout. Its also very high in brewers yeast which is known to worsen gout pain.
In one study, they found that patients who consumed a 12-ounce serving of beer per day were almost two times more likely to have gout compared to those who dont drink alcohol.
Another extensive study found that two to four beers a week increased ones chances of developing gout by 25 percent. The more beer they drank, the more likely they were to suffer from a gout attack. Too much alcohol increases uric acid production and makes it difficult for the body to get rid of.
Hard Liquors
Hard liquors have the same effect though not as severe. Spirits like vodka and whiskey raise the risk for a gout attack but only half as much as beer.
Wine drinkers are not safe either.
Topical Cold Or Hot Application
Applying cold or hot water to inflamed joints may also be effective.
Studies and opinions on this are mixed. Soaking in cold water is most often recommended and considered most effective. Ice packs may also work.
Soaking in hot water is typically only recommended when inflammation isnt as intense.
Alternating hot and cold applications may also be helpful.
Read Also: What Are The Remedies For Gout
How To Prevent The Next Gout Attack
If youve ever experienced a gout attack, you’re not likely to forget it. The sudden, severe inflammatory pain may have woken you up in the middle of the night or even sent you to the ER.
You may be at high risk for another attack if you havent made any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medication regimen. Taking precautions against future attacks can spare you from gout pain and limit long-term damage to your joints.
If you’ve had a gout attack, your likelihood of having another is unpredictable. That’s why it’s important to take preventive steps. SeeGout Prevention
Conventional Treatment Of Gout
If youre confirmed to have gout, you may be recommended medications to both treat the acute attack and help prevent gout flare-ups. These medications include:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs : NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or indomethacin may be used at high doses during acute attacks and at low doses for prevention of future flares.
- Colchicine: Like NSAIDs, colchicine is used to both treat gout and prevent future flare-ups.
- Steroids: These medications are generally only used in people who cant take either NSAIDs or colchicine.
- Xanthine oxidase inhibitors : This class of drugs, which includes allopurinol, helps block the production of uric acid.
- Uricosurics: These drugs include probenecid and may be used to help improve the kidneys ability to remove uric acid from the body.
You May Like: Is Fried Chicken Bad For Gout
Causes Of Gout Flares
Gout, a type of inflammatory arthritis, happens when levels of uric acid a normal byproduct of metabolic reactions in your body become too high, says Kenneth Saag, MD, professor of medicine in the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. When this substance cant be sufficiently dissolved and excreted in the urine, it starts to crystallize, and those crystals deposit themselves in joints where they cause severe inflammation.
Certain risk factors, such as having a family history/genetic predisposition or having chronic kidney disease, can affect the development of gout over time. Taking certain medications , a high alcohol or sugar intake, or eating high-purine foods can trigger a gout flare. Read more about what causes gout here.
If youre new to gout, your doctor will need to confirm the diagnosis, as it can sometimes masquerade as other ailments that impact the joints . Your doctor will likely use a needle to remove some fluid from the swollen joint, then examine it under a microscope to confirm that it contains uric acid crystals.
Whats The Outlook For People With Gout
Untreated gout can lead to permanent joint damage. The buildup of uric acid in the joints and soft tissue is called tophus. Some people with gout can also develop other health problems, such as severe arthritis, kidney stones and heart disease. Its important to discuss your symptoms with a healthcare provider.
Recommended Reading: Is Onion Bad For Gout