Live Life Free of Gout !!!

Gout is an extremely painful inflammation of the joints caused by a buildup of needle-sharp uric-acid crystals. It can be extremely painful and incapacitating, but is treatable in almost all cases. It is common in the big toe, the mid-foot, ankle, and the knee. It’s important to identify and treat it early to avoid pain and complications. Women are not free from the risk of gout, and begin to catch up with men after they reach menopause. Excess body weight has also been associated with gout. Men and obese people are at greater risk. An attack can last for days or months.. 

The prevalence of gout has increased in both older and younger people. The rise in younger people is not explained, but in older people it relates to increased life span, weight (obesity is associated with gout) and use of diuretics. Diuretics are used commonly for hypertension and they elevate the blood levels of uric acid increasing the risk of gout.

Gout is best understood by seeing it as having four stages:

First phase is elevated uric acid without gout or kidney stone, a phase which has no symptoms and is generally not treated.

Second phase is the “acute attack” – with pain and inflammation.

Third phase is the “time between attacks” when a person feels normal but is at risk for recurrence.

Final phase is “chronic gouty arthritis,” where there are “lumps” of uric acid frequent attacks of acute gout, and often a degree of pain even between attacks.



About 10% of cases of gout are due to overproduction of uric acid. When uric acid is overproduced, it is high not only in the blood but also in the urine; raising the risk of both gout and kidney stone. Some people overproduce uric acid due to a genetic defect in an enzyme, in the purine breakdown pathway which leads to over activity of this pathway. Since cells contain DNA, and DNA contains purines, anything that increases the breakdown of cells in the body can lead to more uric acid and gout. For example, if a patient is receiving chemotherapy for a tumor, as the treatment kills the tumor cells, a gout attack or kidney stone can develop as a result of the breakdown of the purines from those cells.

Lifestyle factors can also contribute to gout. To avoid problems, experts recommend:

• To drink plenty of fluids to remain well-hydrated.
• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption, especially beer. However, moderate wine drinking does not appear to increase your risk of gout.
• Limit the amount of organ meats, sardines, anchovies, and red meats you eat. These foods are high in purines.
• Avoid sweetened beverages, especially those containing fructose, which have been linked to higher risk of gout.
• Lose weight if you are overweight or obese. 

Some Food can also flare up the possibility of the problem, so one should also try to avoid such:

Herring: Whereas some types of seafood can be eaten once in a while, others should be off the menu completely for those who have gout. Avoid herring, tuna, and anchovies. On the other hand, shrimp, lobster, eel, and crab are relatively safe.




Red Meat: All meat is not equal when it comes to purine content. White meat is generally better than red. 

 Sugary Drinks: Avoid beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, such as non-diet sodas or “fruit” drinks. These sweeteners will stimulate the body to produce more uric acid.A study found that men who consumed lots of fructose were at higher risk of developing gout.

Asparagus: Asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, and mushrooms are higher in purines than other vegetables. But if someone like these foods, there’s no reason to avoid them completely. Certainly you wouldn’t want to go wild with these high-purine vegetables, but they don’t seem to be issues like the meats are.


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