Low-Fat Diet Limits Gout Risk

Putting more low-fat dairy products in your diet and consuming less red meat will reduce the chances of developing gout, as shown in a study that covered the diets of thousands of male health professionals. In the same manner, having more vegetables and fruit while shying away from alcohol use will lower the risks of gout.

The study reported that every type of seafood that was covered appeared to increase the risk of gout, a finding that may conflict with the beneficial effects derived from eating fish and seafood on other health conditions like heart diseases. Nevertheless, it is touted as the first clinical evidence about the protective benefits of dairy products on gout, and the first confirmation that purine-rich foods can trigger gout.

The researchers kept close tabs for 12 years on 47,150 male doctors and health professionals who had no previous history of gout, to try discovering exactly how diet serves to promote the development of gout. In periodic follow-up questions, their consumption of 130 foods and beverages was monitored, along with weight, health status and use of medications. By the time the study ended, 730 men or about 2% had been diagnosed for gout.

The president of the Arthritis Foundation said that the study affirms that diet is a potent way of preventing gout, especially seeing that people’s attitudes toward their diet have become so cavalier. The study explained in a way why gout has increased in incidence: it can now be related to greater access to red meats and a decrease in the consumption of healthier foods, as diets across the world change in patterns influenced by Westernisation.

The protein intake and other relevant data became the basis for estimating purine levels in their diet during the period of study. The sample was segmented into five groupings, ranging from those which had the lowest levels of intake of each food group to those with the highest.

Those who had the highest levels of seafood intake showed 51 percent more chances of developing gout, while those who had the highest intakes of beef, lamb and pork had 41 percent more likelihood. In contrast, the group that had the highest consumption of low-fat dairy products showed 42 percent less likelihood of getting the disorder.

It appeared that no association could be established between gout and high consumption levels of high-fat dairy products or purine-rich vegetables. Most diets for gout prohibit vegetables like cauliflower and spinach, but with this finding such foods have been exonerated. Apparently there are certain kinds of purine-rich foods that trigger gout, while other kinds do not.

Gout risk rose 21 percent with every serving of red meat per day, and 7 percent with seafood servings per week, reported the study team leader from Harvard Medical School. What can you do about fish? In the study all seafood, including ‘heart-healthy’ salmon, increased risks of gout. Those who are after the omega fatty acids in fish can take fish oil capsules, perhaps, to avoid the gout. With findings like these, you may have to take another look at your anti-gout diet.

Treatment Of Gout

Gout is one of the most treatable forms of arthritis, and with proper treatment, you need not have any long-term consequences. Medications are available to relieve the pain and inflammation of acute bouts of gouty arthritis. For long-term care, you may need to take medications to treat the underlying metabolic disorder along with making such lifestyle changes as avoiding alcohol (primarily beer) and foods high in purines and increasing intake of dairy foods.

If you have a gout attack, many doctors recommend oral doses of ibuprofen or naproxen, available in both prescription and nonprescription versions, or other anti-inflammatory drugs. If you are taking aspirin, your doctor may recommend that you stop it temporarily. Aspirin can slow the elimination of uric acid and make gout worse. But if you take a low dose of aspirin to prevent other problems such as a heart attack, check with your doctor before stopping it.

For reliable Gout treatment information, read Cure Gout Now; an easy to follow, comprehensively researched eBook by Lisa McDowell that shows you how to change your diet and gain control of your gout with useful strategies that have been proven to improve health for people with gout.

Find out how Lisa, a long-suffering wife of a gout victim, challenged the uncaring drug companies and made a shocking discovery that cured her husband once and for all.