How to Prevent Gout

Gout is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone. It's symptoms include a sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, and inflammation, redness and tenderness in the joints, often the joint at the base of the big toe, along with limited range of motion.

Gout occurs when urate crystals accumulate in the joint, causing inflammation and intense pain. Urate crystals can form when there is heightened level of uric acid in the blood.

Body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines -substances that are found naturally in the body or in some foods we eat, such as steak, organ meats and seafood. Other foods also promote higher levels of uric acid, such as alcoholic beverages, (especially beer) and drinks that are sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose).

Normally, uric acid dissolves in the blood and passes through the kidneys into urine. However sometimes either our body produces too much uric acid, or kidneys excrete too little of it. When this happens, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needlelike urate crystals in a joint or their surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling.

The main factors that increase the uric acid levels in the body include diet, obesity, family history of gout, age and sex (more men than women get gout) in addition medical conditions such as untreated hypertension, diabetes, heart and kidney disease or metabolic syndrome.

Drink plenty of fluids. Stay well-hydrated, mostly by drinking plenty of water. Limit sweetened beverages you drink, especially those with high-fructose corn syrup.

Avoid or limit alcohol. Talk with your doctor about whether any amount or type of alcohol is safe for you. Recent evidence suggests that beer may be particularly likely to increase the risk of gout symptoms, especially in men.

Get your protein from legumes, eggs and low-fat dairy products. Low-fat dairy products may actually have a protective effect against gout, so these are your best-bet protein sources.

Limit your intake of meat, fish and poultry. A small amount may be tolerable but pay close attention to what types — and how much — seem to cause problems for you.

Increase the frequency and intensity of your exercise. Exercise not only helps with weight reduction, but it also reduces uric acid levels.

Maintain a desirable body weight. Being overweight may lead to insulin resistance that promotes high uric acid levels. However avoid fasting or rapid weight loss, since doing so may temporarily raise uric acid levels.

Food high in purines (containing more than 150 – 200mg of purines per 100 grams) may raise your uric acid levels. These include:

• Organ meats – liver, heart, kidney, and brain

• Some red meat, specially veal and game such as venison

• Fish – herring, trout, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and anchovies (except for   salmon that contains lower levels of purine compared to other fish).

• Seafood – shrimp, scallops, crab, and roe
• Alcohol, especially beer
• Sugary drinks – carbonated drinks, fruit juices and flavored hot or cold   drinks
• Added sugar –high-fructose corn syrup
• Yeasts – nutritional yeast, brewer’s yeast and other yeast supplements

Low purine food (containing less than 100mg of purines per 100 grams) that are generally safe for those who have gout include:

• Fruits –especially cherries may help to prevent attacks by lowering uric acid levels and could reduce inflammation.

• Vegetables- Good news is that even high purine vegetables such as asparagus and spinach don’t increase the risk of gout or gout attacks

• Legumes

• Nuts

• Whole grains

• Dairy products, especially low-fat dairy

• Eggs

• Coffee, tea and green tea

• Herbs and spices

• Plant-based oils – canola, coconut, olive and flax