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October 5, 2009

A New Perspective on Gout

Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, has allowed the yet-unreleased chapter from his book regarding gout to be posted for public consumption on the blog of Tim Ferriss.

Gout, an accumulation of urate crystals around a joint that causes inflammation and intense pain, has been known to be an illness of excess, usually afflicting nobility and the wealthy. As civilization has progressed, gout has become more prevalent. With the discovery of allopuranol as an effective treatment for gout in the 1960s, interest in research about its cause has dwindled.

But Taubs proposes a dietary culprit for gout that may be linked to the cause of other diseases associated with metabolic syndrome: hypertension and diabetes, and even kidney stones. Renewed interest in gout may be having a renaissance due to its possible connection with the consumption of fructose.

The “striking increase” in uric acid levels with an infusion of fructose was first reported in the Lancet in the late 1960s by clinicians from Helsinki, Finland, who referred to it as fructose-induced hyperuricemia. Simply put, fructose increases serum levels of uric acid.

As our society increases its consumption of high fructose corn syrup in processed foods and sweetened beverages, the incidence of gout, diabetes, obesity, and all of the health problems that come with over-fatness, will continue to increase. In order to take control of fructose intake, reduce the amount of processed foods that you eat. Cook meals from scratch, using fresh, whole ingredients. Reduce consumption of organ meats, red wine, and other foods high in purines.

For alternative treatments for gout, check out Health 911 for a comprehensive overview.

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Posted by linda at October 5, 2009 6:42 PM