Historically called king's disease, gout is common among rich people who are able to eat and drink excessively. These days not only affect the rich: drop rates have increased globally since 1960. Today it affects around 70,000 Australians per year and is more common in men over 70 years.
Worldwide, the highest prevalence is in Taiwan (2.6% of the population and 10.4% of Taiwan's indigenous population) and among the Maori in New Zealand (6.1%).
Gout is a painful condition that affects the joints. Joloei / Shutterstock
You suffer from gout when your purine metabolism, the chemical components of DNA produced in the body and found in some foods and drinks, are damaged.
Purines are damaged in the liver, producing uric acid as a by-product. Uric acid enters the bloodstream, travels to the kidneys and is excreted in the urine. If uric acid cannot be eliminated, uric acid levels in the blood increase.
After uric acid rises above 0.42 mmol / l (millimoles per liter), crystals can begin to form in tissues and joints, especially in the fingers and toes. This can cause sudden and unbearable joint pain, called acute gout attacks.
A healthy diet plays an important role in managing gout or reducing the risk of disease. Cherries, milk products, coffee, and vitamin C have shown benefits.
Foods that are high in purines or that increase uric acid metabolism must be limited. These include red meat, seafood, sweet drinks, fruit juices, high-fructose and alcoholic foods.
Food to eat more than
Sour cherries
Bioactive components in cherries reduce uric acid production in the liver and increase excretion through the kidneys. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.
Cherries offer many benefits. Karol Franks / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND
In a study of 633 gout patients followed for one year, those who had eaten cherries in the past few days were 35% less likely to experience acute gout attacks than those who did not.
Similarly, a four-month trial found that those who consumed cherry juice had far fewer attacks.
Milk
Milk promotes excretion of gout. Having two or more servings of dairy products every day, especially low-fat and nonfat milk, provides 42-48% lower risk of gout compared to less than one serving.
coffee
Several studies have shown that coffee is associated with lower risk of gout. Coffee is a diuretic and therefore increases urine production. Chlorogenic acid in coffee promotes excretion of uric acid, while xanthines chemically reduce the production of uric acid.
A 12-year study of more than 45,000 men found that those who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a 40-60% lower risk of gout than those who did not drink coffee.
Interestingly, even drinking decaffeinated coffee has a lower risk of gout.
Vitamin C
Take it carefully. anat / shutterstock songs
An extensive review of 13 studies found that taking vitamin C supplements (around 500 mg per day for approximately one month) caused a slight decrease in blood uric acid 0.02 mmol / L.
But a warning before starting to consume vitamin C: high intake increases the risk of kidney stones.
Things to reduce
Meat and seafood
The high consumption of red meat (including liver, kidneys and other innards) and seafood (shellfish, shellfish, clams, herring, mackerel, sardines and anchovy) is associated with increased risk of gout due to high purine content and the impact on gout production
Foods that contain yeast, such as Vegemite and Marmite, are also high in purines.
Sugar
Fructose is a "simple sugar" found in honey, fruits, some vegetables and sweeteners. Fructose increases the metabolism of purines, increasing uric acid levels in the blood.
Avoid high fructose sweeteners such as honey, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, gold syrup, and palm sugar. Check your tolerance for fruits, vegetables, and other foods that contain high fructose.
Uric acid levels tend to be higher in people who regularly consume sweet drinks. Those who drank one or two sugary soft drinks a day almost doubled their gout compared to those who drank only one month.
When it comes to whole fruit, the results are not clear. While one study found an increased risk of gout with higher fruit intake, another study found a lower risk. The reverse results are partly confused by variations in the content of different fructose fruits.
Alcohol
Beer contains a lot of purine and increases uric acid. Eugene Romanenko /, CC BY-NC
The effects of certain alcoholic beverages on blood uric acid levels vary. Beer has a high purine content and increases uric acid more than alcoholic beverages, while moderate wine intake seems neutral.
Non-drinkers are shown to have lower uric acid levels than those who drink beer or alcoholic beverages. The more they drink, the higher their uric acid levels.
In a meta-analysis of 17 studies with 42,000 adults, the relative risk of gout for those with the highest alcohol consumption almost doubled compared to non drinkers or occasional drinkers.
Ten tips for dealing with gout.
If you suffer from gout, use these nutrition tips to reduce your risk:
Consult your doctor to check or control risk factors for gout
Drink up to four cups of regular or decaffeinated coffee per day
Take two or three servings a day of low-fat or fat-free dairy products (for example, milk in cereal, coffee with milk, custard or yogurt)
Eat cherries regularly (fresh or frozen). Add cereals and sandwiches for breakfast, or mix with yogurt.
Avoid fasting and banquets. Both increase the change in purine and uric acid in the blood.
Manage your weight trying to prevent weight gain. If you are overweight, try lowering a few pounds.
Avoid foods with high purine content (offal, sardines, anchovy, yeast, beer) and control food portion sizes with average purine levels
Cut soft drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices. Take two liters of water a day (or enough to make your urine colored like a straw)
Limit alcohol, especially beer and liquor.
Manage your fructose by avoiding honey-dense foods, brown sugar, and corn syrup (see food labels). Eat fruits from low to medium fructose. Avoid very high fructose, except cherries.