Discover how diet influences gout and gout pain
Diet and gout have been linked since ancient times
How does what you eat cause gout? Can gout really be triggered by diet intake or is it possible that you can protect yourself from gout by changing your diet? How does alcohol come into it? Can a high intake of alcohol really trigger gout pain?
The research studies reported below are recent and throw a lot of new light on the subject of gout and diet.
Can diet
trigger gout?
Known risk factors for gout include
purine-rich food (meats, seafood, purine-rich vegetables) and high
protein foods.
It is also thought that the consumption of
dairy products has a role in protecting against gout.
A recent research study looked at diet and gout.
Researchers examined the relationship between
these dietary risk factors and new cases of gout among 47,150
male health professionals who had no history of gout at base line over a
12 year period.
A supplementary questionnaire ascertained whether participants
met the survey criteria for gout.
Diet was assessed every four years by means of a
questionnaire that enquired about the average consumption of more than
130 foods and
beverages during the previous year.
At the start of the study and every two years thereafter, the
participants provided information on their weight, the regular use
of medications, and medical conditions.
The main focus of this study was a newly diagnosed case of gout
that
met 6 or more of the 11 criteria for
gout diagnosis .
730 confirmed new cases of gout were recorded. A breakdown of the results are as follows:
The risk of gout among men with the highest meat intake, as compared with those in the lowest meat intake was 1.4 times greater.
The corresponding risk associated with seafood
intake was 1.5 times greater.
The risk of gout among men with the highest dairy intake, as
compared with those with the lowest intake was about fifty percent less.
The level of consumption of purine-rich vegetables and the total
protein
intake were not associated with an increased risk of gout.
The authors conclude that higher levels of meat and seafood consumption are associated with an increased risk of gout, whereas a higher level of consumption of dairy products is associated with a decreased risk of gout.
Moderate intake of purine-rich vegetables or protein is not associated with an increased risk of gout.
ALCOHOL AND GOUT
According to another recent study, alcohol intake is strongly associated with an increased risk of gout. This risk varies considerably according to type of alcoholic beverage: beer confers a larger risk than spirits, whereas moderate wine drinking does not increase the risk.
The authors of the study used questionnaires to investigate the relation between alcohol consumption and risk of gout in 47,150 male participants with no history of gout at the start of the study. They observed the men over a period of twelve years
They also used a supplementary questionnaire to determine whether reported cases of gout met the American College of Rheumatology gout criteria. In total 730 confirmed cases of gout were documented and it was found that:
Compared with men who did not drink alcohol, the risk of gout was 1.32 times as high.
Beer consumption showed the strongest independent
association with the
risk of gout. Men who drank two or more beers per day were 2.5
times more likely to
develop gout than those who did not drink.
Consumption of spirits was also significantly associated with gout however, wine consumption was not. Don't forget to look elsewhere on this site for information about how fruit intake can influence gout.