Gout, a type of arthritis, often comes with symptoms like pain, inflammation, stiffness and redness in the joints. Genetics and certain diseases, like heart disease, can cause gout. However, your diet can also play a role in the disease; fruit is one of the triggers. Talk to your doctor for diet and treatment recommendations if you have gout.
Fruit Components That Affect Gout
Purines and fructose in fruit are the components that can trigger gout. When your body breaks down purines, it creates uric acid; an abundance of uric acid causes gout. Meat, poultry and fish provide the most purines in your diet, but fruit can also provide small amounts. An excess of fructose, or fruit sugar, in your diet can also increase your risk of developing gout. A February 2008 study in the journal "BMJ" found that fructose sweeteners, fruit high in fructose and fruit juice all contributed to the risk of gout in men. An article on the Science News website explained that fructose also affects gout risk in women, although the study only covered fructose in soft drinks, not in fruit.
Purine Content of Fruits
Some fruits might trigger gout more than others, as fruits have differing purine contents. Dried fruits have the highest content. For example, fresh plums have 24 mg of purines per 100 g, whereas dried plums contain 64 mg. As for fresh fruits, on the low end, apples contain 14 mg per 100g, blueberries have 22 mg, pears have 12 mg and cherries have only 7.1 mg. On the high end, apricots have 73 mg and bananas have 57 mg. However, these are relatively small amounts compared to animal foods. Sardines contain 480 mg and a chicken breast with skin has 175 mg.
Fructose Content of Fruits
Certain fruits also have higher fructose contents than others. Dried fruits contain higher levels per serving, as a fresh apple contains only 6 g of fructose per 100 g and dried apples contain 29 g. Fruit made into jam or jelly also has a high content, as apple jam has 27 g and blackberry jam has 20 g per serving. Comparatively, fresh fruits have relatively low fructose contents. Blackberries have 3 g per 100 g, peaches have only 1 g, raspberries have 2 g, oranges have 3 g and kiwi have 5 g. Sweet cherries have 6 g, while sour cherries have 4 g.
Considerations
The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests that fruit in your diet might improve some symptoms of gout. It says that antioxidant-rich fruits like berries might help. Specifically, a half pound of cherries each day for two weeks might reduce your uric acid content. It also recommends consuming more fiber, and fruit is full of fiber. However, it says to reduce your intake of certain fruits like strawberries and rhubarb, which have the compound oxalate. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian for a specific gout diet plan.
References
- Gout and Uric Acid Education Society: About Gout
- MayoClinic.com; Gout Diet; Aug. 10, 2011
- "BMJ"; Soft Drinks, Fructose Consumption and the Risk of Gout in Men: Prospective Cohort Study; Hyon K. Choi, et al.; Feb. 9, 2008
- Science News; Fructose Poses Gout Risk Even in Women; Janet Raloff; Nov. 10, 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Gout
