Diet for people with gout

1. The importance of diet for gout patients

Gout is a type of arthritis that involves sudden attacks of pain, swelling, and inflammation of the joints. Gout symptoms occur when there is too much uric acid in the blood. When uric acid levels are high, crystals of it can build up in the joints. This causes swelling, inflammation, and severe pain.

People with gout often experience swelling, pain, and inflammation in their joints, starting with the big toe, then moving to the fingers, wrists, knees, and heels. These acute gout attacks often occur at night, after meals rich in protein.

Most people with gout experience these symptoms because their bodies cannot remove excess uric acid effectively. This allows uric acid to build up, crystallize, and deposit in the joints.

When you have gout, certain foods can increase your uric acid levels, causing recurring attacks and worsening your symptoms. Trigger foods are often high in purines, a substance found naturally in foods. When you digest purines, your body produces uric acid as a waste product.

Although there is no specific diet that can completely prevent gout attacks, a healthy diet can help control the disease better. Research shows that people with a diet high in purines are 5 times more likely to have a gout attack, while avoiding or reducing purine-rich foods (especially foods of animal origin) helps reduce the risk of recurrence.

Additionally, a diet lower in purines can also help some people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This is important for gout because it not only reduces the risk of developing the disease, but can also reduce pressure on the joints, helping to reduce pain and slow the progression of the disease.

2. Essential nutrients for gout patients

Fresh fruits and vegetables

To control gout, people should eat foods low in purines such as fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in fiber, vitamin C, and alkaline.

Vegetables and fruits rich in fiber are recommended for gout patients because they can reduce protein absorption, thereby reducing the formation of uric acid.

Alkaline vegetables such as broccoli, radish, squash, etc. help neutralize uric acid in the blood, slowing the progression of gout. Fruits rich in vitamin C effectively reduce inflammation.

Eat whole grains

Whole grains such as oats, brown rice, barley... are rich in fiber that can reduce CRP levels - a marker of inflammation in the blood, good for people with arthritis, including gout.

Should use milk, low-fat and non-fat dairy products

All types of milk are safe, but low-fat milk is especially beneficial for people with gout. Low-fat or fat-free milk can help prevent gout attacks. It can reduce uric acid levels and has certain anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the inflammatory response to monosodium urate crystals in the joints.

Drink enough water

For people with gout, drinking enough water will help the body eliminate excess uric acid in the blood and excrete it through urine. Therefore, patients should drink enough water (mineral water, filtered water) about 2 - 2.5 liters per day.

Be careful not to drink too much water at once, but divide the amount of water and drink evenly throughout the day.

3. Foods to limit when suffering from gout

People with gout should try to avoid most foods high in purines, especially foods of animal origin, animal organs and seafood.

Foods containing high protein such as red meat: beef, buffalo meat, pork leg; ham; seafood... contain a lot of purine which will be converted into uric acid. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to limit these foods. Should be replaced with white meat such as: chicken breast, fish...

Refined carbs like white bread, cakes, and cookies should also be avoided. Although they are not high in purines or fructose, they are low in nutrients and can increase uric acid levels in the body.

Red meat, animal organs

Meats and animal organs with high purine content such as red meat, liver, heart, kidney, brain... are foods that have negative effects on people with gout.

Seafood

People with gout should avoid eating fish with high purine content such as: anchovies, cod, haddock, herring, mackerel, sardines, salmon... Some types of seafood have average purine content, patients can eat small and moderate amounts such as: crab, lobster, clams, shrimp...

Animal fat

You should limit your intake of animal fat, because if you use a high amount of fat in your diet, after being absorbed, it will reduce the body's ability to excrete uric acid.

Eating a lot of animal fat also increases the risk of atherosclerosis, obesity and increases the risk of systemic complications. Therefore, patients should limit the amount of fat in their meals and eat vegetable oil.

Sugary drinks

Many studies have identified a link between hyperuricemia and excessive sugar consumption. Especially sugary soft drinks and added sugars such as honey, syrups, soda, energy drinks, etc.

Foods high in fructose should be avoided. Fructose is a carbohydrate that can increase uric acid levels in the blood. In particular, purines found in high fructose corn syrup have been linked to increased crystal deposition and associated symptoms.

Ale

Alcohol is a common cause of gout attacks because it reduces the ability to excrete uric acid in the urine. Alcohol also increases the inflammatory response in people with swollen joints due to acute gout, making the patient more painful and reducing the effectiveness of gout treatment drugs.

Different types of alcohol have different purine contents. Beer is particularly high in purines and has been found to increase uric acid levels when consumed regularly./.