Saturday, March 16, 2024

Will Cherries Help With Gout

Cherry For Gout Relief And Prevention

Cherries for Gout

Due to its growing popularity and use, research conducted by the Boston University observed the cherry intake of 633 gout patients over a 2-day period. The results of the study found that the individuals who included cherries in their die had a 35% lower risk of gout attacks. Additionally, the combined use of cherry and the medication allopurinol was found to decrease the risk of gout by 75%. Another study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2003 found that among 10 healthy women, those who consumed two servings of Bing cherries had uric acid levels fall by 15%.

Cumulative research conducted on cherries have fully supported the anti-gout properties of cherries. Researchers have narrowed down two chemical properties of cherries that likely contribute to its anti-gout efficacy:

What Did The Research Involve

The research took 12 healthy volunteers and gave them two different volumes of concentrated cherry juice mixed with water, to see what effect this had on measures of uric acid activity and inflammation up to 48 hours later both of which are biological measures indirectly related to gout.

None of the volunteers actually had a history of gout.

In an effort to reduce other dietary sources of anthocyanins , participants were requested to follow a low-polyphenolic diet by avoiding fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, alcohol, chocolate, cereals, wholemeal bread, grains and spices for 48 hours prior to, and throughout each arm of the trial. Food diaries were completed for 48 hours before, and throughout, the testing phase to assess the diet for compliance.

Participants were required to attend the start of each phase of the study at 9am, following a 10-hour overnight fast to account for diurnal variation. Each phase was comprised of two days supplementation with cherry concentrate. One supplement was taken immediately following a morning blood and urine sample, and a second consumed prior to each evening meal.

Multiple supplements were administered to identify any cumulative effects. The length of the supplementation phase was chosen due to the short period of time in which anthocyanins are metabolised.

The Best Cherry Sources For Anthocyanins

Regularly consuming one daily serving of cherries whether theyre fresh, frozen, dried, or in juice form may be all you need to help with gout relief. But not all cherries or cherry products are created equal. Pay close attention to antioxidant levels.

Antioxidants are measured by a process called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC an ORAC score essentially tells you the antioxidant capacity of various foods. Nutritionists and dieticians recommend consuming between 3,000 and 5,000 ORAC units every day. When applying this knowledge to cherries and gout relief, consider the following:

  • 3 ounces of Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate contains 12,800 units of ORAC
  • 1/4 cup of Dried Cherries contain roughly 3,000 units of ORAC
  • 1/2 cup of Frozen Cherries contains roughly 2,000 ORAC units.
  • 1 cup fresh cherries : roughly 4,000 ORAC units.

Also think about which products will make it most convenient for you to include cherries in your diet. I started out drinking tart cherry juice, but the problem I had was that I was traveling all the time, so it was not practical for me to carry around a bottle of juice that needed to be refrigerated. Same goes with whole cherries . . . theyre great when you can get them, but they are not always in season.

Frozen whole cherries are wonderful, but they dont work if you have to be on the road all the time. However, when I am home, I keep frozen cherries stocked in the freezer and add them in my morning smoothies several times a week.

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Tart Cherry Sports Drink Recipe

This flavorful and refreshing tart cherry sports drink will rehydrate and refuel â with an added inflammation-busting punch from the tart cherry juice. Thank you to the Cherry Marketing Institute for sponsoring this post!

You guys know by now that Iâm a huge tart cherry fan. Through my partnership with the Cherry Marketing Institute this year, Iâve talked about how tart cherries make a delicious, satisfying snack , and how they can help with sleep due to the natural melatonin they contain . This month, Iâd like to talk more about their other big benefit, which is especially important to me as a runner: inflammation-busting. Research has shown tart cherries can serve as a natural recovery aid when consumed in the days before and after intensive exercise!

Tart cherries are high in anthocyanins, which are flavonoids that contribute to their sourness, intense red color, and, most importantly, their anti-inflammatory health properties. Due to these anthocyanins, tart cherries have been found useful for those suffering from joint paint and gout, and can also help to ease muscle soreness following a hard workout, too. When youâre sore after a workout, this is due to a few things â muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress. The good news is that the anthocyanins in tart cherries seem to help with all three of these!

Hereâs the recipe. Happy running and inflammation busting!

How To Prevent Gout Attacks

Eat Cherries to Help Reduce Gout Attacks and Arthritis ...

To prevent gout attacks, limit your consumption of sugars.

Drink plenty of fluids, with water being your best choice.

Do your best to control emotional and physical stress, as this can cause your flare-ups to be even more severe, and consult your personal physician to help control the pain and keep your condition from worsening.

Treatments for gout have advanced over the years, including the development of allopurinol, a drug to prevent attacks. Speak with your orthopedic surgeon or personal physician about possible pharmaceuticals for gout. Many people with gout suffer from multiple conditions and medication interactions and side-effects should be considered.

Thankfully, there is a natural remedy for the symptoms of gout available, as well.

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Cherries Are High In Antioxidants

As mentioned earlier, antioxidants play a big role in why cherry is so effective at treating gout. These same antioxidants are also able to help slow down the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals cause cell damage which later on make you more susceptible to cancer and diabetes. If you take an antioxidant such as cherries everyday, you help yourself to avoid these deadly diseases.

Why Are Cherries Good For Gout Sufferers

Gout comes about when sufferers experience a build-up of uric acid. Cherries help the sufferers by fighting inflammation and decreasing the uric acid levels in the gout sufferers blood stream. The less uric acid in the blood, the less pressure on the kidneys, and the less chance there is of the uric acid building up over time and an attack of gout occurring.

What is it about cherries that make them such an essential part of any treatment and prevention of gout? The magic that gout sufferers are in need of is Anthocyanins 1 and 2, and guess where they are found in their most intense concentration – cherries. Sure there are some other fruits that have some of the elements, but cherries are packing obioflavonoids and antioxidants too, so they win by a mile as the power fruit of choice for gout sufferers.

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Side Effects And Risk Factors

In general, tart cherry juice is well tolerated. 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.

It should be mentioned that drinking large amounts of tart cherry juice daily contributes a considerable amount of sugar to your diet, which is contraindicated on an arthritis-friendly diet.

People with diabetes should drink cherry juice in moderation, as too many carbohydrates from the juice may raise blood sugar above desired levels.

Anti Inflammatory Cherry Smoothie Recipe

Black Cherry Extract: for Gout (Natural Remedy)

This anti inflammatory cherry smoothie recipe combines super foods like cherries and flaxseed with tasty and nutritious strawberries and pineapple for an inflammation fighting and delicious smoothie! And with little to no prep, this pineapple cherry smoothie it makes great anti inflammatory breakfast or snack.

Also Check: Medication For Gout In Big Toe

Cherries Uric Acid And Gout Attacks

A painful gout attack occurs when excess uric acid in the body forms crystals that collect in one or more joints, causing inflammation. Cherries have been shown to lower the levels of uric acid in the body and therefore might lower the risk of a gout attack.

See Hyperuricemia – High Uric Acid Levels and Gout

For example, one large online survey3 asked people with gout to report their experiences over the course of one year. People answered questions about their intake of cherries and cherry extract, alcohol, and certain foods and medications in the two days leading up to a gout attack.

The survey results found:

  • People who ate cherries or supplemented with cherry extract were 37% less likely to report gout attacks than people who had no cherry intake.
  • People who ate cherries or supplemented with cherry extract and also took allopurinol, a drug prescribed to reduce urate in the blood, were 75% less likely to report gout attacks than people who did neither.

For this study, researchers defined one serving of cherries as ½ cup, or about 10 to 12 cherries. More than 3 servings did not seem to provide additional benefits.

Taking Cherry Juice For Gout

If youre taking concentrated cherry juice, just add 2 tablespoons of the concentrate to a glass of water and stir thoroughly. Drink a glass twice a day. For unconcentrated cherry juice, just drink 2 glasses of the juice twice a day. But in both cases it must be high quality cherry juice, so talk to the store owner.

Keep this up everyday until your gout symptoms abate. Then you can experiment with how much to reduce to, in order to help manage your uric acid levels over the long term.

And it neednt be boring. There are other ways you can take cherry juice, such as by adding to low-fat smoothies and to low-fat yoghurts, etc.

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How To Make Cherry Juice To Fight Gout

Another alternative to buying cherry juice is to actually make your own.

Many manufacturers when they make their cherry juice will add lots of sugar or sweeteners to it to make it taste even better. However, if you make it yourself, you can make it fresh and very often wont need to add sugar at all.

Furthermore, if you do decide to add sugar, you can do it to a minimum that you enjoy, rather than being forced to consume the preselected amount.

To make fresh cherry juice simply follow these simple steps

  • Wash and stem a punnet of fresh cherries
  • If you wish, you can cut all the cherries open and remove seeds at this point
  • Measure cherries in to a blender, mixing ¼ of a cup of water to one cup of cherries
  • Blend lightly in a food processor if still containing seeds. More aggressively, if youve already taken the seeds out.
  • Use a sieve to strain the juice in to a bottle.
  • Throw away leftover skin and seeds
  • Keep refrigerated.

When To Contact A Doctor

Cherry Vitamins for Gout

A person should contact a doctor if they experience any symptoms of gout.

The doctor may be able to diagnose gout by using a blood test to look at a persons uric acid levels and kidney function. They may also require a sample of fluid from the inflamed joints to look for uric acid crystals.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases , having gout may make a person more likely to develop other conditions or complications, such as those that affect the heart and kidneys.

As a result, it is important to talk with a doctor to help manage the symptoms of gout.

Read Also: How To Treat Gout In Toe

How To Use Fruit If You Have Gout

The answer is very simple. All you have to do is to decrease theamounts of bad fruits that can increase the level of uric acid or contribute toits effect in any other way. These fruits include kiwi, peaches, mango, andapricots.

Gout and fruit are more than just great to match if you are eating fruits I recommend. The best examples are cherries, berries, apples, pineapple, and even bananas. The best way is to eat all of these fruits in raw form, it is the most productive method of intake.

Yes, you can also drink juice made from these fruits or eat themin dried form but the number of benefits are limited or at least decreased.

In gout and fruit article, I must add that the bad fruits I referred earlier on can be consumed but in moderation and very small amounts.

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Tips For Including Cherry Juice In Your Diet If You Suffer With Gout

Some cherry juice will be made from concentrate while others are not. Neither option has been found to be less healthy or useful in preventing gout.

Always look for 100% cherry juice, preferably with no added sugar, as the sugar is bad for uric acid and may counter some of the benefits of the cherries.

Try to pick specific varieties of cherries. Black cherries are good for you, but more tart varieties like Balaton or Montmorency contain a much higher concentration of anthocyanins. Thankfully, these are the exact cherries most used in cherry juice.

If you try cherry supplements, always check the % of cherry extract and try to find as close to 100% as possible. Many supplements mix lots of different vitamins together and end up not achieving an effective concentration of any.

Avoid very sugary versions of cherries such as syrup or cherry brandy again because the sugar will have detrimental effects on your gout, similar to that of fizzy soda .

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The Best Cherries For Gout

If you have gout, then you know the excruciating pain and suffering you can experience during a flare-up. Of all the medicines and natural treatments available for relieving the pain of gout, cherries rise to the top for being able to soothe and reduce inflammation, swelling and pain, as well as that of arthritis and other joint-related inflammations. Not only are cherries touted by some as a wonder treatment, but they are fast-acting and theyre good for you.

If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.

Tart Cherry Extract: A Natural Option For Gout Relief

Are Cherries Healthy? The Nutrition Benefits of a Cherry and Gout Remedy Facts

Imagine this

You are suffering from pain and inflammation in your feet, most notably in your big toe. This pain can be moderate to severe and come on suddenly, wracking you with hot, stinging sensations.

You are experiencing the symptoms of gout. This is called podagra. In Greek, podagra means foot trap. Now you know what this feels like it feels as though your big toe has been caught in a steel trap.

How can you find relief? Lets look at what gout is and how you can fight its symptoms naturally with tart cherry extract.

Also Check: Does Gout Cause Foot Swelling

How Can I Incorporate Tart Cherries Into My Diet

We recommend replacing the juice youre currently drinking with CHERRISH 100% Cherry Juice, with a blend of Montmorency tart cherries and Bing Cherries.

All forms of Montmorency tart cherries have anti-inflammatory benefits, but on a per serving basis, CHERRISH was found by researchers to have the greatest anti-inflammatory activity.

You can also try our fantastic range of delicious tart cherry recipes. Add a pop of color, a nutrient punch and a hint of sweet-tart flavor to overnight oats, grain bowls, salads, side dishes, trail mixes and much more.

How Cherries Help Fight Arthritis

Generations of people have reported that cherries help keep painful osteoarthritis and gout flares in check. Now, scientists are putting this popular folk remedy to the test, with promising results.

Researchers have tested different amounts of several varieties of cherries in almost every form, from juice to pills. And though most studies are small and the findings preliminary, evidence of the benefits of cherries is growing.

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What Kind Of Research Was This

This was a single blind randomised crossover study testing the effects of two doses of cherry juice on levels of uric acid in the body.

The researchers say that nutritional research has focused more on the use of foods for improving human health, and particular attention has been placed upon foods containing high concentrations of anthocyanins such as tart cherries.

Gout is a type of arthritis, where crystals of sodium urate form inside and around joints. The most common symptom is sudden and severe pain in a joint, along with swelling and redness. The joint of the big toe is commonly affected, but it can develop in any joint. Symptoms develop rapidly and are at their worst in just six to 24 hours. Symptoms usually last for three to 10 days . After this time, the joint will start to feel and look normal again, and the pain of the attack should disappear completely. Almost everyone with gout will have further attacks in the future.

People with gout usually have higher than normal urate levels in their blood, but the reasons for this may vary for example, some people may produce too much urate, while in others the kidneys may not be so effective at filtering out urate from the bloodstream. The condition may run in families.

A randomised control trial including people with gout, or people more likely to develop gout , would be required to give us better evidence on the issue.

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