HOW TO MANAGE GOUT AND LIVE YOUR LIFE

 “You can afford to be optimistic," says Peter, who’s one of several people with gout interviewed by health awareness website Healthtalk.org. For Peter, it’s important to remain positive and to keep learning more about the disease. Just like many others, he believes it’s possible to manage gout and carry on living a normal life. 

Studies currently show that over 9.2 million adults in the United States have gout. This condition doesn’t discriminate; it affects men, women, and even young adults. The statistics may cause some level of fear or worry in many people, but gout is one of the few preventable and manageable forms of arthritis, according to the Harvard Medical School. The real challenge is making sure people are informed about the disease and getting the right care. 

In this article, we’ll help you understand what gout is and what your options are in managing it, ranging from prescription medicine to tart cherry supplements for uric acid control.  https://go-out.life/blogs/articles/how-to-manage-gout-and-live-your-life

GOUT-FRIENDLY DIET: NUTRITION TIPS TO HELP MANAGE SYMPTOMS

 Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis caused by excess uric acid in the blood. Once too much uric acid accumulates in the bloodstream, it forms needle-like crystals that lodge in and around joints, causing excruciating pain.

The good thing is that gout symptoms are manageable. Alongside medications and gout supplements, dietary changes can help prevent painful attacks and improve an individual's quality of life.

In this article, you'll learn more about what nutrients to include in your diet, as well as gain an idea of how certain types of food could affect your gout.

What Foods Should You Limit Eating?

The primary dietary modification that doctors recommend is a low-purine diet.

Purines are chemical compounds that are naturally found in foods. When digested, the body produces uric acid as a by-product. This is not a problem for healthy individuals, as their bodies can efficiently remove excess uric acid.

However, the circumstances are different for people with gout whose bodies struggle to eliminate excess uric acid. Fortunately, research shows that reducing the amount of purine-rich foods in the diet can reduce the risk of gout attacks. https://go-out.life/blogs/articles/gout-friendly-diet-nutrition-tips-to-help-manage-symptoms

What Causes High Uric Acid Levels

Gout is caused by high amounts of uric acid in the blood. Your uric acid levels are the result of how much your body makes minus how much it excretes. Only 10 percent of people with gout produce too much uric acid; a full 90 percent don’t excrete enough. When that happens, the acid crystalizes in the blood, accumulates in the joints, and causes intense discomfort.

Just last year, researchers identified 183 different locations on genes that are strongly associated with high levels of uric acid in the blood. If your body is genetically inefficient at excreting uric acid, you’re more prone to developing gout than the average person.

 

How Gout Discriminates

For more proof that gout is largely genetic, just look at who gets it.

Some of the groups with the highest incidence of gout include the Hmong of Southeast Asia, the Māori of New Zealand, and Pacific Islanders., If gout were mainly a dietary problem, we would expect the diets of these peoples to be rich in organ meats, red meat, wild game, shellfish, soda, and alcohol — all the things people with gout are told to avoid.

But that’s not the case. These cultures’ dietary traditions emphasize fruits, vegetables, rice, and starchy tubers — not the classic problematic gout foods. When Polynesians move to New Zealand and stop eating their traditional diet, though, their rates of gout skyrocket. https://go-out.life/blogs/articles/role-that-genetics-plays-in-gout