Gout, a form of arthritis often involving the joint at the base of the big toe, is characterized by a build-up of uric acid crystals in the joint space and sudden, severe and often extremely painful attacks, typically with reddening of the skin; symptoms can be painful enough to awaken gout sufferers from sleep. It is usually treated with anti-inflammatories, steroids and colchicine, but some have experienced relief by taking the mineral supplement zinc.
Zinc as an Anti-Inflammatory
Zinc is involved in the production of some 300 enzymes---molecules that help speed along biochemical reactions in the body much more quickly than they would proceed on their own. One of these enzymes is SOD, the body's chief anti-oxidant enzyme. SOD prevents against the kind of damage to cells associated with inflammation, and so with zinc on board to keep SOD levels high, the inflammation that is characteristic of gout and responsible for painful symptoms may be lessened in frequency and severity.
Zinc for Protein Synthesis
Because zinc affects the synthesis of a number of enzymes that are in turn involved with the synthesis of various proteins and tissues, increasing the amount of zinc in the bloodstream can increase the rate of synthesis of certain physiological elements. Because gout involves degrees of inflammation that may be extreme at times---and inflammation entails tissue damage---zinc can help speed recovery from bouts of gout inflammation by hastening the rate of tissue repair.
Zinc and Serum Urate Levels
Low levels of circulating urate---the dissociated, or proton-free, form of uric acid---are often correlated with low levels of circulating zinc, and zinc supplementation under these circumstances has been found to elevate serum urate. How this relates to gout and its symptoms, however, is unclear.
Zinc and Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the chief offenders when it comes to eliciting or worsening the symptoms of gout. Alcohol, in addition to its toxic effects on liver and virtually all other bodily tissues, lowers serum zinc levels. Therefore, in patients whose gout has been triggered by or associated with excess alcohol intake---generally taken to be two or more drinks per day---zinc supplementation may lead to a more rapid recovery from an attack.
