gout management

© 2011 Barton Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. – The Gout Solution Kit

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Disclaimer This guide is copyrighted with all rights reserved. The author does not assume any liability

for the misuse of information contained herein. The information contained within this

guide is offered to provide you with beneficial concepts regarding your health and

wellbeing. The author is not a doctor, nor does he claim to be. Please consult your primary

care physician before beginning any program of nutrition, exercise, or remedy. By

consulting your primary care physician, you will have a better opportunity to understand

and address your particular symptoms and situation in the most effective ways possible.

While every attempt has been made to provide information that is both accurate and proven

effective, the author and, by extension, the guide, makes no guarantees that the remedies

presented herein will help everyone in every situation. As the symptoms and conditions for

each person are unique to individual histories, physical conditioning and body type and the

specifics of the actual gout presentation, successes will vary.

The use of supplements or natural remedies may alter the intended effects of prescription

medications you have been provided by your doctor, so do not make any changes in your

normal course of health care without first consulting your doctor or health care professional.

Be sure to visit www.BartonPublishing.com for more home remedy reports and links to

other resources dedicated to your good health!


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What Are Purines?

Introduction

Purines are natural substances found in all of the body’s cells and in virtually all

foods. The reason for their widespread occurrence is simple: purines provide part

of the chemical structure of our genes and the genes of plants and animals. A

relatively small number of foods, however, contain concentrated amounts of

purines. For the most part, these high-purine foods are also high-protein foods,

and they include organ meats such as kidney; fish such as mackerel, herring,

sardines and mussels; and also yeast.

Purines are metabolized into uric acid

When cells die and get recycled, the purines in their genetic material also get broken

down. Uric acid is the chemical formed when purines have been broken down

completely.

It’s normal and healthy for uric acid to be formed in the body from the breakdown of

purines. In our blood, for example, uric acid serves as an antioxidant and helps prevent

damage to our blood vessel linings, so a continual supply of uric acid is important for

protecting our blood vessels.

Uric acid levels in the blood and other parts of the body can become too high, however,

under a variety of circumstances. Since our kidneys are responsible for helping keep

blood levels of uric acid balanced, kidney problems can lead to excessive accumulation

of uric acid in various parts of the body.

Excessive breakdown of cells can also cause uric acid build-up. When uric acid

accumulates, uric acid crystals (called monosodium urate crystals) can become


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deposited in our tendons, joints, kidneys, and other organs. This accumulation of uric

acid crystals is called gouty arthritis, or simply “gout.” These crystals look like needles

and are very painful when deposited in

the various joints in the body.

Foods that contain purines Because uric acid is formed from the

breakdown of purines, low-purine diets

are often used to help treat conditions like

gout in which excessive uric acid is

deposited in the tissues of the body. The

average daily diet for an adult in the U.S.

contains approximately 600 to 1,000

milligrams of purines.

In a case of severe or advanced gout, dieticians will often ask individuals to decrease

their total daily purine intake to 100 to 150 milligrams. A 3.5-ounce serving of some

foods, all by itself, can contain up to 1,000 milligrams of purines.

Figure 1: Spiked uric acid crystals associated with gout


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Foods & Beverages to Avoid

To reduce purines, ask about ingredients when eating out, whether at a friend’s house or

a restaurant, and read food labels. The following list is not complete. And, as always,

consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your

diet.

The following foods have very high purine levels, and should be avoided

completely:

• Anchovies

• Bouillon

• Brains

• Broth

• Consommé

• Dried legumes

• Goose

• Gravy

• Heart

• Herring

• Kidneys

• Liver

• Mackerel

• Meat extracts

• Mincemeat

• Mussels

• Partridge

• Roe

• Sardines

• Scallops

• Shrimp

• Sweetbreads

• Yeast (both baker’s and brewer’s)

• Yeast extracts


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These foods have high purine levels:

• Fish

• Shellfish

• Poultry (especially turkey)

• Most meat (except those with very high purine content, as noted above, or those with

moderately high purine levels, as noted below)

These foods have moderately high purine levels:

• Asparagus

• Cauliflower

• Legumes

• Lentils

• Mushrooms

• Oatmeal

• Peas (dried)

• Soy

• Spinach


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Here are some foods that make up a sensible, relatively low purine diet.

• Almonds

• Artichokes

• Avocados

• Bananas

• Blueberries

• Celery (the more the better)

• Cherries (the more the better)

• Complex carbohydrates (such as whole-wheat breads, cereals, pasta, and rice, as well

as the aforementioned vegetables and fruits) Avoid white flour products.

• Essential fatty acids (tuna and salmon, flaxseed, nuts, and seeds)

• Foods high in bromelain (such as pineapple)

• Foods high in vitamin C (such as red cabbage, red bell peppers, tangerines,

mandarins, oranges, and potatoes)

• Fruit juices and purified water (drink 80 ounces of water per day)

• Grapes and other red-blue berries

• Low-fat dairy products

• Strawberries

• Tomatoes

• Vegetables, including kale, cabbage, parsley, and other green leafy vegetables

• Whey protein powder in moderation (one serving per day)


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Without any treatment of any kind, a gout attack will usually subside within one

week’s time. Of course, no one wants to endure gout pain if there are remedies at

hand, such as The Eight Best Alternative Treatments we wrote about in Natural

Gout Treatments & Remedies. Again, those treatments are:

The Two-Hour Baking Soda Remedy

Consume lots of cherries

Our list of herbs

Drink lots of water

Our list of supplements

Our list of natural medicines

Apple cider vinegar

Kidney cleanse

After your gout attack has been treated, however, unless you take action to

manage your gout, there is a 60% chance that you will have a recurrence within a

year. In addition to the risk of another attack, gout sufferers also have an elevated

risk for hypertension, diabetes, renal disease and heart disease. With no

treatment, acute gout may progress into chronic gout, which can destroy joints

and cause the development of kidney stones. In fact, kidney stones are a

complication of gout in 10% to 40% of gout patients.

Needless to say, you want to protect yourself from these potential health

disasters. The best way to do that is to commit to a low-purine diet, regular

exercise, and the other best practices for staying healthy that we outline for you in

Preventing Gout from Coming Back.

gout management

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