Is Milk Bad For Gout

A Good Diet For Gout Should Not Include Soft Drinks Or Fruit Juice

Added sugar is a big problem in the modern diet.

Generally speaking, the sugar that is added to our food and drink products are 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

While glucose molecules are metabolised in the cell, fructose is metabolised in the liver. Further explanation is out of the scope of this article, but they behave very differently in the body.

Fructose intake, and not glucose intake, is strongly linked with gout.

Soft drinks and fruit juices tend to have the greatest amount of added sugar, and therefore the greatest amount of added fructose.

In fact, gout occurrence in the US has risen in line with fructose consumption since 1970 .

In a large study of over 46,000 men, researches found that two or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks a day was associated with an 85% increased risk of gout .

The largest consumers of sugar-sweetened soft drinks actually had a risk of gout comparable to the risk seen with three to five servings of alcohol.

Unfortunately the researchers did not account for family history of gout, which may or may not have changed their findings somewhat.

The strange thing out of all this, however, is that soft drinks dont typically contain purines.

Fructose is thought to be the culprit linking added sugars with gout. It appears to share the same mechanism as alcohol: fructose accelerates the breakdown of purine-containing nucleotides like ATP. This in turn drives up uric acid levels 90120-5/abstract” rel=”nofollow”> 13, 14, 15).

Organ Meats Are Extremely High In Purines And Should Also Be Avoided

Organ meats, known as Offal, contain by far the most purines of any food in the human diet.

The most common forms of offal in the Western diet include liver , brain, heart, kidneys, and a mixture called Pâté.

Below is the purine content of a handful of foods. Note this is just an example Ive selected, and you can find much more extensive lists on Goutpal or here.

Purine Content of Food :

Consider that values listed are per 100 grams, so portion sizes must be taken into account Meat portions we eat tend to be heaviest.

Previous studies have not differentiated between intake of conventional meat and offal, so recommendations have to be the same. Given the strong link between meat intake and gout which is based on purine content alone offal should definitely be avoided too.

Somewhat contradictory to the purine-gout theory, consumption of purine-rich vegetables is not associated with an increased risk of gout .

Researchers speculate this could be due to a lower bioavailability of purines in vegetabes, as well as other nutrients which may offset the harmful effects of their purines.

Summary: Organ meats are some of the highest purine foods and should be completely avoided if you suffer gout attacks.

Why Is Dairy Good For Gout

Dairy is good for gout because it contains proteins casein and lactalbumin, which have been found to have uricosuric effects. This means it increases the excretion of uric acid in the urine, thus reducing its concentration in the blood.

Dairy is also low in purines and helps excrete xanthine, which is a purine base. Furthermore, an orotic acid found in milk decreases uric acid reabsorption and promotes excretion by the kidneys.

In a Canadian study in 1991 led by Dominique Garrel, they found that the two proteins found in cow milk helped increase uric acid excretion and lowered serum uric acid levels by over 0.5mg/dL. Its not much, but considering that it happened in just three hours, it is pretty impressive!

What the participants took, however, was 80 grams of milk proteins, and not the milk itself. To experience the same benefits, you would have to drink more than 8 glasses of milk a day! Thats a lot of milk!

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Other Types Of Arthritis

There are other types of arthritis that impact both adults and children. Fibromyalgia causes pain and stiffness all over the body. Other symptoms include fatigue, migraines, and tingling or numbness in the hands and feet. Dairy can help individuals with fibromyalgia because of the vitamin D component. If there is lactose intolerance, consuming other milk products fortified with vitamin D is an option. These products include almond, coconut, and cashew milk.

A type of arthritis that impacts children is juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This occurs in children ages 16 or younger and affects one or more joints. Although this type of arthritis can be outgrown in children, it causes joint stiffness, inflammation, and can affect bone development in growing children. Researchers surveyed parents of patients who have juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Improved pain or joint swelling was found in patients who had a gluten-free, anti-inflammatory, and lactose-free diet.

What Are Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are a type of food that are preserved with the help of microorganisms. The process involves using different ingredients to help change the chemical structure of the food whether its through the use of bacteria, sugar, alcohol, or yeast.

Foods that are pickled or soured are also considered fermented foods and they are produced by using a type of acid such as vinegar or lemon juice. This is a great way to preserve food and make it more nutritious!

The real star is a bacteria called lactobacilli which converts starches and sugars in fermented food into lactic acid. This is what gives the food its distinct sour flavor. Whats more amazing is that fermented foods are available around the world.

Throughout history, different cultures have developed their own versions of fermented foods. For example in South Africa, they have a fermented milk thats similar to yogurt which is called amasi. Philippines has the atchara, a side dish made from pickled papaya. In southern parts of India as well as its neighbor Sri Lanka, they have a pancake made by mixing fermented rice batter with coconut milk.

You dont have to travel to the other side of the world to find fermented foods. There could already be a couple thats in your fridge right now! Heres a quick list of the more common fermented foods items that are available at your local grocery store:

• Yogurt
• Miso
• Tempeh

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Ten Tips For Beating Gout

If you have gout, use these nutrition tips to lower your risk:

Gout Diet: Dos And Donts

Maintaining a balanced diet, low in uric acid, is critical for lowering the risk of a gout attack. Learn which foods and beverages you should eat and which ones to avoid.

1. What You Eat and Drink Matters

2. DO: Drink Water

3. DONT: Drink Beer

4. DO: Drink Milk

5. DONT: Drink Liquor

6. DO: Drink Coffee

7. DONT: Drink Soda

8. Do: Eat Citrus

9. DONT: Eat Organ Meats

10. DO: Eat Vegetable Proteins

11. DONT: Eat Certain Seafood

12. DO: Eat Cherries

Nutrition

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Drinking Milk And Eating Dairy Products If You Have Gout

I must begin with the obvious fact. Only low-fat milk isrecommended for gout suffers. However, this brings us to the whole array ofproducts you can consume as well.

In a nutshell, you can consume low-fat milk, yogurt and some types of cheese. The best ones and the most recommended are mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, feta, and American cheese. All of them come with low-fat milk source and they are completely safe.

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But, when choosing your next dairy product you will have to consider another fact. Make sure it is actually made and it consists of dairy ingredients and not substitutes. While milk and milk products are great for gout, substitutes are not.

Oatmeal For Gout: What Is It

• 4 Oatmeal for Gout: Other Benefits

Oats are one of the healthiest types of grains here on earth. Scientifically, it is known as the Avena sativa. This is since they are free of gluten and is one of the great sources of significant minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, as well as fiber. Moreover, studies even show that oatmeal and oats have a lot of benefits that are beneficial for the overall health.

The oat groats are the most intact as well as a whole form of the oats, thus taking a lot of time to cook it. For this very reason, most people choose the rolled, steel-cut, or the crushed oats. Commonly, oats or oatmeal are eaten for breakfast. This is made by boiling oats in milk or in water. Some often refer to this as porridge. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, oats have already become a very famous health food.

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Energy Drinks And Gout Risk

Coffee isnât the only beverage of which to be wary. Consuming some energy drinks is akin to going on a caffeine binge. These drinks may also be high in sugar, so you could be risking a âdaily double” for gout risk. “No studies have evaluated the impact of energy drinks on gout. However, as the majority of these drinks are sweetened with fructose, one can infer that they are likely to also increase gout attacks,” warns Sloane. Not everyone with high uric acid gets gout pain, but studies show that uric acid is increasing in the American diet. Protect yourself by keeping an eye on what you eat and what you drink.

Can Cheese Be Part Of Your Gout Diet

When considering whether or not cheese is safe to eat with gout the first step as with any food is to check to see if it contains ingredients that may promote elevated uric acid , the root cause of gout.

The 2 main ingredients to look out for are purines and sugar, which we know can raise uric acid levels in the blood.

So, now, lets take a close look at cheese and whether or not its safe to eat with gout

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Orange Juice And Gout Risk

Many sugar-sweetened juices can increase your risk for gout, but naturally-sweetened juices like orange juice may also be a gout risk trigger. “In the last 10 years, there has been some evidence from some studies that high fructose in fruit juices may be associated with a higher risk of gout,” says Dr. Freeman. Fructose is a sugar that is added to soft drinks, but it occurs naturally in orange juice, so drinking too much OJ could be as risky as drinking a sugary soft drink.

Frequent Consumption Of Certain Fruits May Trigger Recurrent Gout Attacks

High sugar drinks may not be the only stimulant of gout flare ups.

Certain fruits which are a natural source of fructose have also been linked with gout.

This is a highly contentious area, because several studies have linked higher fruit intake with less incidence of gout. This is probably due to their high fibre content .

And unlike fruit juice and other sugar-sweetened drinks, whole fruits are nutritious and generally good for health. There is no disputing this.

However, if you continually have gout attacks despite cutting out alcohol and sugar-sweetened drinks then Im not convinced a large amount of fruits are safe for you. Especially if you are overweight and eat a Western diet.

So cutting back on certain very high-fructose fruits is like a Plan D, if you will.

The link comes back to fructose, which stimulates uric acid production in a similar manner to alcohol. Fructose is naturally found in fruit and honey.

One study found that the consumption of apples or oranges the most popular fruits in this study was linked with an increased risk of gout compared to those who consume less than one serving of fruit per month. No link was found with other fruits however .

While most fruits are very low in fructose, a few are very high. Frequent consumption of these could theoretically causes problems for gout sufferers.

Foods Highest in Fructose per 200 Calories :

Note this list is ranked on a per calorie basis, not per serving.

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Why Raw Milk For Gout

The studies I just referenced all used low-fat or skim milk, but truly, raw whole milk really does make all the difference. Plus, I should add, some people in the skim milk powder study reported that the powder produced side effects including diarrhea, nausea, and gas. The painful inflammation of gout is way worse, but still, there has to be a better trade-off than replacing gout with gas!

My eyes became opened to the wonders of raw milk after reading the book, Nourishing Traditions that talks about the work of Weston A. Price, a dentist who traveled the world studying the dietary habits of the worlds healthiest people. In short, we need fats the whole low-fat craze is just propaganda from big corporate financial interests and does not support optimal health.

On the other hand, raw milk from cows raised on pasture grass not feedlot grain is especially rich in conjugated linoleic acid , a sort of wonder fat that can do everything from improve insulin sensitivity to decrease cholesterol levels. Raw milk is also a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and good bacteria that helps with gut health.

If youre just not sure about the raw part, understand that when milk is pasteurized and homogenized it changes structurally, and becomes less potent in all its good stuff. When John Locke wrote in the 17th century that drinking milk was his top gout remedy, you can be he was drinking raw whole milk!

+++ Sources:

A Caution About Vegetables

As good as vegetables are in general, some are high in purines, including asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, peas, and mushrooms. However, high-purine vegetables dont seem to aggravate gout the same way that high-purine animal-based foods do, Sandon says, adding that, as long as its a vegetable source, you can eat it. One further precaution when balancing foods and gout: Some dried beans, particularly fava and garbanzo, are high in purines, and you may find you need to avoid them.

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Gout Treatment And Diet

Avoiding purine-rich foods is only part of your gout treatment. Losing weight can also help your gout symptoms. 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. Talk to your doctor about how to create a gout diet thats right for you.

Nutritional Value And Purine Content In Fish

• Cooking Tips

Certain fish dishes are great sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, lean protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants in vitamins B2, B12, and vitamin D. However, eating seafood, including fish, is also a well-recognized risk factor for increased uric acid levels in the blood, which leads to a gout attack. All fish should be eaten in moderation if you have gout or are at risk of gout due to hyperuricemia.

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Reducing Risk Of Gout’s Return

Results showed the more water they drank, the lower their risk of recurrent gout attacks. “For example, having five to eight glasses of water in the past 24 hours was associated with a 40% lower risk of having a gout attack, compared with drinking none or one glass of water in the past day,” says Tuhina Neogi, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.

Neogi stresses that people with gout shouldn’t substitute water for other treatments their doctors prescribe.

“But this suggests that dehydration may indeed be an important trigger for gout attacks, and that drinking water may be a simple intervention to help reduce the risk of recurrent attacks,” she tells WebMD.

Previous studies have shown that people who drink a lot of milk have a lower risk of developing gout, Dalbeth says.

So she and colleagues decided to study the effects of skim milk on blood uric acid concentrations, which, when elevated, raise the risk of gout.

The researchers collected blood and urine samples from 16 volunteers immediately before they drank soy or skim milk and then hourly over a three-hour period.

Results showed that after they drank soy milk, levels of uric acid rose 10% over a three-hour period. Drinking skim milk led to a 10% drop in uric acid levels. In comparison, Zyloprim, a standard medication used to treat gout, results in a 20% to 30% drop in uric acid, Dalbeth tells WebMD.

Gout And Milk Connections

Yes, you can drink milk if you suffer from gout and you can drink it in massive amounts. There are several reasons why this is possible. The first one is the fact milk can actually decrease the uric acid level and as such decrease the risk of the next attack.

Secondly, milk can promote uric acid elimination from the body. It consists mostly from water meaning kidneys will have to filter more fluid and they will remove more uric acid.

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Believe it or not, this is the claim from the Arthritis Foundationand according to them, milk is one of the elements of any diet that havecountless benefits and it is perfectly recommended for gout sufferers.

There are no other facts and elements I can mention about gout and milk. There are no limitations of any kind when it comes to low-fat milk and it is highly desirable food gout suffers like.

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