Gout is a form of arthritis that typically affects the joints of your big toes, although it can affect any joint in your body. Symptoms of gout include intense joint pain, heat and swelling in affected joints, high fever and tophi, which are visible lumps beneath the skin. Foods high in purines may play a significant role in the development of gout.
Food Sources
Purines are chemicals found in food sources. Beef, organ meats, goose, pork, herring and sardines have a high purine content. Other common high purine foods include sweetbreads, mussels, anchovies and yeast. Foods with moderate amounts of purines include poultry, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms and dried prunes.
Role of Purines
When your body metabolizes purines from food sources, it forms a compound called uric acid. Excess levels of uric acid in your bloodstream can cause this compound to crystallize in your joints. The sharp edges of uric acid crystals irritate joint membranes, producing pain, swelling and stiffness associated with gout.
Reducing Uric Acid
Adequate hydration may help lower serum uric acid levels created by purine consumption by flushing it out of your body through your urinary tract. Also, diuretic herbs, such as parsley and celery seed, may help lower uric acid levels in your bloodstream. Daily consumption of cherries or cherry juice may have a similar effect. Lowering uric acid levels may help reduce the severity of gout attacks, and may help prevent future attacks.
Pain Management
Although cayenne pepper cannot cure gout, it may help relieve pain caused by uric acid crystals formed by purine metabolism. Capsaicin, the active chemical compound in cayenne peppers, may inhibit the activity of chemicals in your peripheral nerves that communicate pain messages to your brain.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gout
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.; 2010
