What to eat and what to avoid

A healthy diet is important in reducing the risk of gout and managing it. Cherries, milk products, coffee, and vitamin C are all beneficial.

Limit foods that contain purine or increase the metabolism of uric acids. Red meat, seafood, sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, foods with high fructose content, alcohol, and other foods that contain purine should be limited.

Foods to Eat: More of

Cherries

Cherry bioactives lower the production of uric acids in the liver and increase excretion through the kidneys. Also, they have anti-inflammatory qualities.

Cherries deliver multiple benefits. Karol Franks/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

A study on 633 gout patients followed for an entire year found that those who had consumed cherries within the last few days were 35% less prone to suffer a gout attack.

In a similar four-month study, those who drank cherry juice experienced significantly fewer attacks.

Milk

Milk helps to excrete uric acids. Two or more servings of dairy per day, particularly skimmed and reduced fat, reduces the risk of gout by 42-48% compared to one.

Coffee

Numerous studies have demonstrated that caffeine is associated with lower gout risk. Coffee is a diuretic and increases urine production. Chlorogenic acids in coffee promote uric-acid excretion, while xanthines reduce uric-acid production.

In a 12-year study, which included more than 45,000 men, those who consumed four or more cups per day had a 40-60% reduced risk of gout compared to those who did not drink coffee.

Even decaffeinated caffeine was associated with a reduced risk of gout.

Vitamin C

Take it with caution. Anat chant/Shutterstock

A review of 13 studies showed that taking vitamin C (about 500mg a day for about a month) led to a slight reduction of blood uric acids of 0.02 mmol/L.

Before you begin popping vitamin C, be aware that high intakes can increase your risk for kidney stones.

Cut back on these things.

Meats and seafood

A high intake of red meat, including liver, kidneys, and other offal, and seafood, such as shellfish, scallops, mussels, anchovies, herring mackerel, and sardines, is associated with increased risk of gout due to their purine content.

Purine is also found in foods that contain yeast, such as Vegemite or Marmite.

Sugars

Fructose can be found in honey and some fruits, vegetables, and sweeteners. Fructose raises blood levels of uric acids by increasing purine metabolism.

Avoid sweeteners that are high in fructose, such as brown sugar, honey, high-fructose syrup, palm sugar, and golden syrup. You should test your tolerance to fruits, vegetables, and other foods high in fructose.

The levels of uric acid are higher in those who drink sugar-sweetened beverages regularly. One to two sweetened soft drinks per day can almost double the risk of gout compared to those who only drink one.

The results of the whole fruit are unclear. One study showed a higher risk of gout when fruit intake was higher, while another showed a lower risk. These contradictory results are partially due to the differences in fructose levels of different fruits.

Alcohol

Purine is found in beer, and it increases uric acids. Eugene Romanenko/, CC BY-NC

There are different effects of alcohol on blood uric acids. Purine is found in beer, which increases uric acids more than in spirits. Moderate wine consumption appears to be neutral.

It has been proven that non-drinkers tend to have lower levels of uric acids than those who consume beer or spirits. The more alcohol they drank, the greater their uric acids.

A meta-analysis of 17 studies that involved 42,000 adults found that the relative risk of developing gout was nearly double for those who consumed the most alcohol compared to occasional or non-drinkers.

Ten tips to beat gout

Use these tips to reduce your risk of gout:

Consult your doctor to monitor or check gout risk.

Four cups of coffee, regular or decaffeinated, a day is the maximum.

Two to three servings of dairy products with reduced fat or skim milk per day (for instance, milky cereal, milky custard, custard, or yogurt).

Cherries are good for you, whether they’re fresh or frozen. Add cherries to cereals and snacks, or mix them with yogurt.

Both fasting and eating are bad for you. Both can increase blood uric and purine.

Manage weight by preventing weight gain. Try to lose a few kilograms.

Avoid high-purine foods such as offal meats (sardines, anchovies, and yeast spreads) and limit the number of medium-purine foods.

Avoid soft drinks, fruit juices, and sports drinks. Two liters is the minimum amount of water you should drink daily.

Limit alcohol consumption, particularly beer and spirits.

Avoid honey, brown sugar, and corn syrup (check the labels of your food). Fruits and vegetables that are moderate to low fructose.