Foods That Cause Gout

Gout, the disease of kings is a common type of arthritis characterized by increased level of uric acid and inflammation which is caused by high purine and high protein foods.

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Since ancient age, Gout has caused a great deal of anguish and agony. Pages from history in specific, from the ages of Hippocrates, revel that this disease was commonly known as "The Disease Of Kings" or "The King Of Diseases", mostly due to its occurrence in royal, noble and rich families. The cause of their significant proportion in victims was their easy access to costly, exclusive exceptional foods.

In modern times also Gout has been found in significantly high percentage in people from developed societies. The reasons behind this are deskbound lifestyles, using all modern luxuries and without much physical labor and the consumption of large amounts of rich foods and beverages that are not well endured by the human body. So, it is highly important to find out the basic pathology and its causes behind Gout to prevent the agony.

What Is Gout?
Gout is a common type of Rheumatoid Arthritis that occurs when an unwarranted quantity of uric acid in the urine, blood and tissues crystallizes and saturates at the joints. It is the secondary skin inflammation. It emerges as a severe attack frequently coming on overnight. Within a short span of time, there is acute pain and inflammation in the affected joint. It characterizes the skin over the joint tender and burnished. Although known as "gouty big toe" or "gouty arthritis". as it often noticeable itself in the big toe, it can also emerge in an ear, hand joints, heels of the hand, elbows, knees, ankles, or wrists with swelling, inflammation, tenderness and acute pain If not attended, it may develop into chronic joint disease with progressive damage of joints (Chronic Gout).

Mechanism behind Emergence of Gout
In normal cases, the metabolism process in human body produces Uric acid as its end product as Uricase, digestive enzyme secretion from kidney, beaks down the Purines from the food. However, in pathological stage, due to the decline in the levels of Uricase elevation in the quantity of uric acid is found. As kidney failed to discard this uric acid through urine, it experiences the saturation of this in the blood (Hyperuricaemia). This raised levels of uric acid in blood lead to deposits of microscopic, sharp needle like crystals of Monosodium Urate at joints.

Uric acid when gets deposited and crystallized under the skin, it is known as Tophi, or as Kidney Stones in the urinary tract. Bursae, the tiny fluid filled sacs around the joints get filled by these crystals causing inflammation. This condition is called as Bursitis. In Tophaceous Gout, these nodular crystals deposit in different areas of soft tissues in the body.

Relevance of Diet
Studies have shown that the most important reason for the emergence of gout is purine, an organic substance. Foods with high levels of purine, including organ meats, beans and red meats, contribute to the body’s level of uric acid. That’s why; traditional thinking tells us that gout is the outcome of disproportionate amounts of protein, alcohol, coffee and soft drinks in diet. Deficiency in potassium also leads to elevation in the levels of Uric Acid.

The relation between the Gout and Food is more complicated. The Gout is associated with break down of purines. Purines are a certain type of proteins found in diet.

Foods very high in purines:
Hearts, herring, mussels, smelt, sardines, yeast, sweetbreads are the kind of foods which are having high proportion of purines.
Foods those are moderately high in Purines:
Mutton, anchovies, liver, salmon, grouse, veal, turkey, bacon, kidneys, goose, trout, pheasant, scallops, partridge, haddock carry moderately high percentage of purines and can cause and aggravate the cases of Gout.
Vegetables those are very high in purines:
Asparagus, cauliflower and mushrooms are the vegetable sources which can cause Gout as they are very rich in purines.
Consumption of Alcohol:
It increases the production of uric acid and hampers the renal excretion by the kidneys, thus resulting in increased levels of uric acid.
Consumption of Coffee:
Caffeine present in coffee accelerates the break down of proteins and hence can aggravate Gout.
Acidic Fluids
Some foods are alkaline to the filtration system of kidney and some are acidifying to it. The elimination or excretion of Uric acid enhances if the urine reaches to an alkaline state and is reduced if urine becomes acidic. The PH of neutral Urine is 7.0 and if it comes down to 6.0 then excretion of uric acid decreases by a considerable amount around 50%.

Tailor made Cigarettes, Artificial sweeteners, , Carbonated soft drinks & fizzy drinks , Drugs, White Sweet Flour, Goat, Lamb, Pastries & cakes made up of white flour, White Sugar, Custard with white sugar, , Brown sugar, Chocolate, Coffee , Jams, Jellies, Beer, Liquor , White Pasta, Chicken, Pork, Beef, Deer, Rabbit, Semolina, refined & iodized Table salt, Black Tea, Turkey, Wheat bread, White rice, Processed White vinegar are the acidic foods which can trigger Gout.

To prevent from the agony of this disease which has affected nearly 2 million people, you have to know these foods that cause Gout and restrict their consumption to lead healthy life!

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