Eating to avoid painful gout

Gout is a serious, painful condition that can affect your long-term health and decrease your mobility. Although gout cannot be prevented, certain foods may help decrease painful symptoms and help you get on with your life.

Symptoms

• Often first characterized by sudden, extreme pain and inflammation in a single joint (generally the big toe), gout is a type of rheumatic disorder (an inflammation or pain in the joints or muscles) that usually strikes men. The likelihood of women suffering from gout tends to increase after menopause.
• Persistent episodes of gout, which occur for years, can potentially affect joints in the knees, elbows, wrists, hands and feet, as well as other parts of the body.

Prognosis

• Elevated blood levels of uric acid, one of the body's waste products, can lead to the accumulation of tiny, painful needlelike crystals in the joints. As a natural reaction to this accumulation, the immune system releases compounds in the body that produce inflammation, causing the joints to become sensitive, ­inflamed, red and warm to the touch.
• Though gout seems to appear out of nowhere, chances are that a symptom-free buildup of uric acid in the blood has been going on for years. The first attack of gout is usually followed by a complete remission of symptoms. But, in untreated cases, many people can expect a recurrence.
• In fact, if left untreated, gout can lead to other serious conditions, such as kidney stones or other kidney problems, as well as destruction of the affected joint. Considered an intermittent disease, gout may be asymptomatic for years, but then produce a painful attack without warning.

• Gout occurs when there is either an increased production of uric acid or failure of the body to eliminate it efficiently.

Risk Factors

• Being overweight and/or having high blood pressure or high cholesterol are also risk factors for gout.
• There is also a possible association with kidney disease, as well as with certain medications that tend to decrease uric acid excretion from the body. For example, diuretics ("water pills"), immuno-suppressive drugs or low doses of aspirin raise uric acid levels in the blood.
• Alcohol consumption, as well as fasting, can also raise uric acid levels. Alcohol intensifies the body's production of uric acid, interferes with the kidneys' ability to excrete uric acid and dehydrates the body, which can increase uric acid levels.

• Although gout can't be prevented, there are dietary steps you can take to lessen the symptoms to some extent—starting, clearly, by avoiding purine-rich foods (see below).
• Maintaining a normal weight is very important for people who are susceptible to gout. But note that crash dieting or fasting can increase uric acid levels and can cause an acute gout attack. Be sure to drink an ample amount of water to help remove uric acid crystals from the body.

Home Remedies

• Home remedies for gout that many people swear by include eating celery (and/or celery seeds), and/or 250 grams (1/2 pound) of black cherries every day. Though no current research offers evidence to support a connection between these foods and the relief of gout, it is possible that they reduce inflammation.

Foods to Eat

• Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapples, may reduce inflammation.
• Eating foods rich in essential fatty acids may also help to reduce inflammation.
• There is also some preliminary evidence that eating tofu, which is derived from soy and is a good source of protein, may be a better choice than meat-based protein for people suffering from gout.

Certain foods are high in purines—compounds that are thought to exacerbate an existing attack of gout. To play it safe, if you feel that you're predisposed to gout, or if you have had gout in the past, try to avoid purine-rich foods.

Purine-Rich Foods

• Anchovies
• Herring
• Organ meats
• Sardines