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Use a low purine gout diet to reduce uric acid levels
A low purine gout diet will help reduce uric acid levels. There is a definite connection between gout and purines and gout and uric acid. This is because uric acid is made when purines from food and beverages, and in the liver, are broken down.Uric acid then enters the bloodstream. Since reducing the body’s supply of uric acid is one way of tackling the excess uric acid problem (hyperuricemia) reducing the intake of purine rich food and beverages with a low purine gout diet contributes to a reduction of uric acid levels. But it’s important to understand that most uric acid in our bodies (75-80%) is made in the liver from purine molecules of DNA and RNA. And you need to understand that removing uric acid from the body is generally just as important as reducing its supply. The contribution of a low purine gout diet is not that significant but helpful. Nevertheless, a low purine diet for gout sufferers is important. It may reduce blood levels of uric acid by 1-2mg/DL. In some cases this would be enough to be a natural cure for gout. People who, for whatever reason, wish to, or must avoid drug medications will need to consider the purines content of foods very carefully because diet is critical if you attempt a natural cure for gout without drug medications. All gout sufferers in fact should consider their diet very carefully but avoid crash diets since they can trigger gout. Drug medication avoiders will need a low purine gout diet, but purines shouldn’t, and can't, be avoided completely. People taking drugs to lower uric acid supply (such as allopurinol) may take a more relaxed view, but nevertheless should avoid high purine foods and eat medium ones in moderation. Blood uric acid test meters As well as uric acid tests at hospitals and diagnostic centres, you can buy uric acid meters to test your blood uric acid levels at home or when travelling. Have their results confirmed by a hospital lab, diagnostic centre or doctors' surgery. They work in a similar manner to blood glucose test meters. i.e. a tiny drop of blood from the fingertips or ear lobes is placed on a test strip which is inserted into the meter. Results are displayed on an LCD screen in about 30 seconds.If you use these meters, follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully. Note that these meters test blood, not urine, uric acid levels. Urine UA levels can show how well you excrete uric acid. HIGH PURINE FOODS It is surprising, especially to those who have never heard of uric acid or purines before, that some foods usually considered to be very healthy are high purine ones.These are herrings, (so that means kippers too, if you’re British),sardines and anchovies all of which are high in desirable heart healthy and anti inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, but also high in purines. If you like these fish you'll have to get your omega-3 from other seafood. So too is liver (from any animal)and pâtés, terrines and liver sausage. Other high purine foods include: consommé; broth; anchovy sauce; meat extracts, for example stock cubes, essence of chicken, (widely sold in the Far East), and Bovril; meat gravies from powders and granules; other organ meats (offal), for example kidneys, sweetbreads and hearts; goose; game (pheasants, grouse, partridges, venison aka deer meat, rabbits, hares etc). Still more: Fish roe, clams, (that means Clam Chowder too if you’re American), mussels, scallops, trout, tuna, and bakers’ yeast (bakers’ yeast is high purine but bread is not); brewers yeast and products made from it such as Marmite, Vegemite and Cenovis. All these must be avoided completely on a low purine gout diet. And yes, sorry to say and you’ve guessed it, alcoholic beverages are also high purine. MEDIUM PURINE FOODS Fish (other than those listed above); legumes (beans, including soybeans, peas); other meats such as beef, lamb, pork, venison, chicken and turkey; mushrooms; other shellfish than those listed above; spinach; asparagus; lentils. LOW PURINE FOODS Eggs; fruit, including berries; milk, butter, cheese; potatoes; vegetables (other than those in medium purine foods); grain products such as bread, crackers, pasta, noodles, spaghetti, rice; nuts and seeds; cakes, biscuits (cookies), cereals, ice cream, olives, vinegar, cooking oils and fats, sugar, chocolate. Beverages: tea, coffee. How do you deal with medium purine levels ? High purines foods have to be avoided and low purine foods are OK unless you binge on them. But what about medium purines foods? Much depends on your degree of hyperuricemia (excess uric acid), if you have hyperuricemia.(Remember that curious fact that not all gout sufferers have hyperuricemia?). Another depends on how well your low purine gout diet works. Constructing such a diet is not difficult unless you have to lose weight. The gout foods to avoid - liver, offal, a few kinds of fish and shellfish, meat extracts and the others in the high purine category above - are easily avoided since most have similar substitutes. If you like gravies, there are other ways of making gravies (the original methods, found in many cookery books and on the Internet) without using gravy powders or granules.
Click here to read about how much a low purine diet reduced uric acid levels in a study
We have focused here on those foods which lists usually agree about. You can easily research this further on the Internet. Use the search box below, or use it to find other references on this site to purines and uric acid.
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