Gout is an inflammatory form of arthritis in which the buildup of uric acid in your body can cause pain and swelling in your joints. While it most often affects your big toe, you may also feel pain in your knees, ankles, feet, elbows, hands, and wrists. Sometimes, the symptoms may appear suddenly, where you go from feeling little to no pain to being in severe pain. It’s considered to be the most common form of joint inflammation worldwide.
The National Kidney Foundation estimates that more than eight million American adults are living with the condition–a number that has doubled since the 90s. Worse yet, one projection suggests that the number could increase by as much as 70 percent by 2050. The prospects may be even more dire for Black Americans, as they tend to have a higher risk of developing gout and experiencing more complications. Fortunately, paying keen attention to your diet can make a significant difference in how you manage gout.
While conditions such as having congestive heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure can make you prone to developing gout, the main cause is the buildup of uric acid. That’s where purines can come into play. A purine is one of two chemical compounds that your cells use to make the building blocks of DNA and RNA. Purines can also be found in meat and meat products. When present, they are broken down by the body to form uric acid, which is usually passed in the urine. However, high levels of uric acid in the body can cause gout, so if you have it, your doctor is likely to recommend a low-purine diet.
Even if you’re taking medications to reduce the inflammation and pain caused by gout, watching what you eat is the best way to lower the odds of having a flare-up from the accumulation of uric acid.
Given that flare-ups can bring swelling, stiffness, painful joints, and intense pain, it’s not surprising that you may head to the emergency room when they happen. Staying away from these foods may help to reduce the frequency of flare-ups.
Sweetened drinks and candy generally contain a simple sugar known as fructose. Although fructose is a naturally occurring sugar in fruits and vegetables, the addition of high fructose corn syrup can affect your health. This form of sugar breaks down into uric acid in the body, which can be a problem for people with gout. Additionally, the high-sugar content of these products can increase your risk of being overweight, which comes with its own health implications in addition to being a risk factor for gout.
Apart from being found in sodas and other sweetened drinks, high-fructose corn syrup is used in more foods than you might think. High-fructose corn syrup may be found in juice drinks, condiments, sauces, jams, jellies, ice cream, ice pops, processed foods like chicken nuggets, breakfast foods, applesauce, and pancake syrup. Your best bet for spotting it is to read the ingredient list of everything thoroughly.
Drinking alcohol can interfere with your kidneys’ ability to remove uric acid from the body. Additionally, one study reported that people who drank different types of alcohol in moderate amounts noted more frequent flare-ups. It’s best to stick to non-alcoholic drinks.
Although seafood is usually a healthy addition to the diet, it’s not all equal. Some seafood may increase uric acid levels in your body. The ones to avoid include anchovies, sardines, mackerel, scallops, shellfish, herring, mussels, codfish, tuna, trout, and haddock.
Red meats like beef, bacon, pork, and lamb can be high in purine, and so eating them will lead to higher levels of uric acid in your body.
As with red meat, you’re better off removing organ meats from your diet. In this case, you should stay away from liver, kidneys, brain, tripe, and sweetbreads
While this lean protein is often recommended for a healthy diet, it’s not a good fit for people who are living with gout. Turkey has a high amount of purine.
Depending on the food, you may not have to deal with high purine levels. However, processed foods usually have ingredients like sodium and added sugar that can increase your risk of developing chronic illnesses that make gout symptoms worse.
If you like to indulge in game meats like goose, veal, and venison, you’re increasing the amount of purine in your diet. It’s best to avoid them.
Yeast and the extracts that are made from it can contain a large amount of purine. To avoid consuming these ingredients, take a close look at breakfast cereals, miso, kombucha, soy sauce, candies, leavened baked goods, beer, malt liquor, and hard cider.
With such a long list of foods that you shouldn’t eat, you may be wondering what’s left in a healthy but gout-friendly diet. The good news is that some foods are not only good for you, but they may also help you manage your symptoms.
Low-fat dairy may help lower your uric acid levels, reducing your risk of flare-ups. The amino acids they contain may also help your body process and remove uric acid effectively. Some great options are low-fat or nonfat milk, plain yogurt, and kefir.
Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet may be helpful, too. While they can contain purine, they typically don’t affect gout in the same way. Cherries, berries, and citrus fruits, in particular, may help to reduce the risk of flare-ups. You should note, though, that some fruits and vegetables contain high levels of potassium that can be a problem for people with kidney disease. You should talk to your doctor about which ones are best for you.
While you’re ditching sugary cereals, refined grains, and processed breakfast foods, consider reaching for whole grains instead. Having a serving of whole-grain cold cereal, cooked oatmeal, or oat bran may lower your purine intake, and they’re also good for regulating blood sugar levels. Aside from breakfast, you can also eat whole-grain bread, brown rice, quinoa, and bulgur.
Since you need to avoid quite a few popular meats, it’s good to know that you can replace them with legumes and plant-based proteins. Those that contain purines are less likely to affect your gout as meat would. That’s why you can explore adding lentils, beans, tofu, chickpeas, edamame, black beans, and tempeh to your diet.
Finally, stay hydrated with water and unsweetened drinks. While out, you can have a few mocktails instead of alcoholic drinks. Depending on your health, you may also be able to drink some types of tea. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor so you know which ones to avoid.
Of course, if you have any doubts about certain prepared foods you usually eat because they’re not in the ‘eat this’ or ‘avoid this’ categories, it’s a good idea to look at the ingredient list. You may see ingredients that tip you off. For example, other names for high fructose corn syrup include
fructose high corn syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), high-fructose, maize syrup, and isoglucose.
So, why should Black people be even more aware of managing their gout than other ethnicities? Well, they’re more likely to develop gout and also live with certain conditions that can make their symptoms worse or worsen during a flare-up. Black men may deal with higher incidences of hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes, while Black women can have chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events, and hypertension.
To make things worse, the Arthritis Foundation noted in a survey that Black Americans were more likely to report a lower health-related quality of life than white patients living with gout. They also sought care in emergency departments and were hospitalized more frequently than their white counterparts when having a flare-up.
Interestingly, while the treatment for Black Americans was the same as with other ethnicities, they were less likely to be prescribed the same medications that ease the symptoms of others. They’re also less likely to be given procedures like joint aspiration, which helps remove fluid from swollen, painful joints.
With that information in mind, it’s always a good idea to know what you’re dealing with. Talk to your doctor at length about how to manage your symptoms and prevent flare-ups. If you feel that your concerns aren’t being addressed, it may be time to find a new doctor.
A lot of Americans are living with gout, but Black people need to be even more aware of how to deal with their symptoms. While your treatment plan should include medication and ongoing care, your diet plays an important part in staying healthy. Talk to your doctor about the best ways to change what you eat.
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