To Your Health

A. When body uric acid levels become high enough to form sharp crystals, usually initially in the joint of the big toe, gout pain develops. The big toe is the most common place for the first attack of gout because crystals form most easily at cooler temperatures and the big toe is the coolest part of the body. By the time uric acid crystals produce the pain we call gout, blood uric acid levels have been elevated for years. In fact, most people with high uric acid will never experience pain from the elevation, but once the uric acid reaches the critical level that results in crystal formation there will most likely be more than one attack. Uric acid is the breakdown product of purines, a necessary part of our genetic material. It is actually a powerful antioxidant and needs to circulate in our blood to prevent damage to our blood vessels.

Uric acid does not dissolve well in water and thus it is hard to excrete. Although gout can result from increased intake of foods containing purines, only about 30% of gout sufferers have this problem. For most of them, it is overproduction of uric acid by their own body, more than they can manage to excrete, that gets gout sufferers into trouble. Dietary changes that reduce or even eliminate purines are seldom enough to bring relief. Decreasing uric acid production or enhancing its solubility works better.

Research into natural gout remedies is in short supply and often outdated. A 1950 study of 12 people eating one-half pound of cherries per day (or drinking an equivalent amount of cherry juice) indicated that this was effective in preventing gout, and since that time many people have recounted their positive personal experiences with this remedy. Their personal experiences were finally confirmed when, in the June 2003 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, consumption of about 9 ozs. of bing cherries was found to drop plasma uric acid by 85% in five hours time.

In 1977, an article reported that supplemental folic acid at 80 milligrams per day reduced uric acid levels. With the legal limit of 0.8 milligrams of folic acid in over-the-counter vitamins this amount is extremely difficult to obtain, plus newer research asserts that it is actually a contaminant in folic acid supplements that lowers the uric acid. The "cherry cure" appears to be the better choice.

Even though it would be virtually impossible to completely eliminate purines from your diet, nor would you want to because many wholesome foods have a lot of purines, limitation of the richest sources may hasten your recovery. The high-purine foods to avoid are red meat, especially organ meats, certain fish such as mackerel, anchovies, herring, sardines and shellfish, legumes (especially peanuts), and baker's/brewer's yeast. Very high intake of high fructose corn syrup, which is present in many processed foods and beverages, can also elevate uric acid. Generous pure water intake dilutes the urine and promotes excretion of uric acid.

With a small change in lifestyle a person should be able to eat a variety of wholesome foods and remain gout free.