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What Are The Most Common Foods That Cause Gout

Gout is a medical condition characterized by swelling, severe pain attacks, and inflammation of the human joints. It’s a type of arthritis that has affected approximately 8.3 million people in the United States of America. [1]

When there are high uric acid levels in the blood, it causes the condition known as gout due to the accumulation of crystals. Please note that uric acid is produced when the human body breaks down purine, naturally occurring in the body. However, purine can also be found in certain foods. For this reason, it’s essential to watch the type of food consumed. This article reveals ten of the most common foods that are consumed that cause gout.

How Diet Affects Gout

Before giving comprehensive details about the foods that cause gout, it’s crucial to know why they cause this condition. Most trigger foods have high levels of purines, which are naturally found in food. Uric acid is produced as a waste product when individuals consume foods containing purines.

Please note that this may not be a problem for individuals without gout, as the body removes excess uric acid. However, gout patients can’t remove excess uric acid; hence, it’s crucial to avoid a diet high in purine.

Study proves that avoiding high-purine foods and taking the right medications to help prevent a gout attack. In most cases, the foods that trigger gout attacks are red meats, seafood, alcohol, and beer, due to their purine level. [2]

Generally, fructose and beverages containing sugar increase the risk of gout attacks, even though they don’t contain purine. However, they heighten the level of uric acid by increasing lots of cellular processes in the body.

It was discovered in research involving above 120,000 participants that those who ate more fructose were at 62% higher risk of developing gout. Moreover, a study also proves that soy products, low-fat dairy products, and vitamin C supplements may help reduce blood uric acid levels. [3]