Foods That Cause Gout
Following on from my initial introductory post Gout Foods, I’ll start thing moving by looking at some of the foods that cause gout and explain why they do. This I may split into several posts, other wise it could get a bit long winded all in one.
Purines:
Purines are substances found in certain foods that, for the purposes of this topic, are one of the leading dietary causes of gout attacks. That’s not to say they are the only cause, but they do play a part. Purines, when they get into the body set off a chain of events that result in the production of uric acid.
As most gout sufferers now know, the painful attacks in the joints which are the major symptom of gout are caused by excess uric acid in the bloodstream, which gets into the joints and crystallizes, making any movement of the joint extremely painful. To add to the woes of the sufferer, the body’s own immune system exacerbates the condition by flooding the area with histamines which cause the associated swelling.
Put two and two together and you can clearly see that consuming to high a level of foods that contain purines are going to cause your body to produce more uric acid than your kidneys can take out, leaving an excess that will find its way into your joints. This is a fairly simplistic view of what’s going on, as there is considerably more to it. But who wants to know more than they need to, right?
On the flip side, our bodies need uric acid for various things that I don’t need to go into here either. Suffice it to say, most doctors will agree that a level of less than 7 ppm of uric acid in the blood is in most cases ok and an attack of gout is unlikely. Once it goes over 7 ppm, that’s when the trouble starts and you’ll be reaching for your gout treatment. Most people don’t have the resources to keep a constant check on their blood composition, so won’t know when they are straying into the danger zone.
The best way to try and keep things stable and below the line is to try and avoid eating too many foods that are rich in purines. These include but are by no means all of them:
- Shellfish
- Anchovies
- Heart
- Kidney
- Brains
- Asparagus
- Mushrooms
- Red Kidney Beans
- Soy Beans
That is a short and very incomplete list of things to either avoid altogether, or at least be frugal with. There are many other foods and what is worse, some foods affect some people more than others. For me personally, I find I can eat asparagus with no ill effect, but I cannot tolerate red meat, while others can. Mushrooms seem to be a universally accepted no-no and any eliminative organs of animals should be avoided. I also have to be careful with prawns, salmon, smoked herring, turkey, dairy products, orange or grapefruit juice and I avoid processed foods like they were poison!
As I said though, what is good or bad for me might not be the same for everyone, so you have to do some trial and error for yourself to see what sets off gout and what doesn’t. In future articles, I’ll be looking at how alcohol comes into the equation, some more foods that need to be avoided and why and some of the foods that are beneficial. See you soon.