Three million Americans suffer from gout, according to the American College of Rheumatology. If you have gout, you're no stranger to the painful flare-ups that can occur when uric acid crystals accumulate in your joints. Dietary purines, or nitrogen-containing compounds that are metabolized into uric acid in your body, can be responsible for gout attacks. Fortunately, what you eat may prevent uric acid buildup.
Dairy
Dairy products may increase uric acid excretion. Study subjects who drank milk or ate yogurt daily had lower uric acid levels in their bodies than controls, reports a 2005 article in "Arthritis and Rheumatism." The authors believe that milk proteins and low purine content may be responsible for dairy's protective effect.
Coffee
As more than 14,000 men and women increased their coffee intake, their blood uric acid levels decreased, as reported in "Arthritis and Rheumatism." It didn't matter whether they drank regular or decaf. Researchers in the 2007 article attribute the results to coffee's antioxidant content.
Vegetables
Veggies have gotten a bum rap because of their moderate purine content, but this may change. Study subjects who ate more vegetables had fewer new cases of gout, found the authors of a 2004 article in the "New England Journal of Medicine." Vegetable proteins may have a protective effect against gout.
Vitamin C
In a 2009 issue of "Archives of Internal Medicine," researchers assessed the vitamin C intake of 47,000 men with no history of gout. Those who consumed at least 500 mg of vitamin C daily had a lower risk of developing the disease. This is likely because the vitamin competes with uric acid for absorption in the kidneys.
Water
The American Dietetic Association recommends that you drink 8 to 16 cups of fluid daily, during a gout attack. At least half of this amount should be water. Continue to consume adequate fluids between flare-ups.
References
- American College of Rheumatology: Gout
- "Arthritis and Rheumatism"; Intake of Purine-Rich Foods, Protein and Dairy Products and Relationship to Serum Levels of Uric Acid; H.K. Choi, S. Liu, G. Curhan; January 2005
- "Arthritis and Rheumatism"; Coffee, Tea and Caffeine Consumption and Serum Uric Acid Levels: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; H.K. Choi, G. Curhan; June 2007
- "New England Journal of Medicine"; Purine-Rich Foods, Dairy and Protein Intake, and the Risk of Gout in Men; H.K. Choi, et al; March 2004
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Vitamin C and the Risk of Gout; H.K. Choi, X. Gao, G. Curhan; September 2009
- American Dietetic Association Nutrition Care Manual: Gout Nutrition Prescription
