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O Go to ukgoutsociety.org for
more information.Are there
any foods
that help?
According to
the UK Gout
Society, the belief
that eating sour
cherries or
drinking their
juice is an
effective natural
remedy may have
a basis in fact.
Scientific
research has
shown that
montmorency
tart cherry juice
can reduce
uric acid levels
in the blood and
the inflammation
that occurs
with gout.rheumatologists. Recent research
published in the New England Journal
of Medicine found long-term use of
opioid painkillers such as codeine
and tramadol can actually cause
more inflammation, so these are not
recommended. During a flare-up,
sufferers are advised to rest, elevate
the affected joint and use an ice pack.Precautionstotake
OCONTROL YOUR
WEIGHT Losing weight
can make it less likely
that you will develop gout
in the first place, even if
you have a genetic predisposition to
the condition. Obesity and gout are
also part of metabolic syndrome – a
range of conditions including high
cholesterol, raised blood pressure
and type 2 diabetes – which can
increase your risk of a heart attack
or stroke. Losing weight will not only
help your gout but improve these
other conditions, too.O AVOID DRINKING
ALCOHOL TO THE
POINT OF DEHYDRATION
‘It’s true that alcohol
contains purines, the
proteins that are broken down to form
uric acid,’ says Alistair (and, perhaps
surprisingly given the historical
associations between red wine and
gout, beer contains more purines
than wine). The key message about
alcohol in terms of gout is that it’s a
diuretic and therefore dehydrates you.
‘I advise people with gout who
play sport to be careful to avoid
getting dehydrated, as this can
cause an acute flare-up,’ he says.
‘For the same reason, I advise people
with gout to be careful about drinking
alcohol and to avoid drinking it
excessively, as this will dehydrate
them. I appreciate that it’s unrealistic
to tell someone to avoid drinking
completely – instead, I suggest options
that include sticking to weaker drinks
such as shandy or to drink water
between alcoholic drinks.’CASESTUDY
^Afootballinjury
triggered
my firstattack_Paul Webber, 43, had
his first gout attack
at the age of just 23.
I was tackled while
playing football and
was in such agony that I assumed
I’d broken my big toe. It got worse
and worse throughout the match.
I went to hospital and had an x-ray.
They said my toe wasn’t broken, but
didn’t really have an explanation as
to what was causing the pain.
After that I would have a flare-up
of pain in my big toe every two
to three months for two years.
Eventually, my GP ordered a blood
test to check whether my urate
levels were high, on the off-chance
that my pain was being caused by
gout. My GP’s hunch was proved
right – despite how young I was.
My grandfather had gout and I have
a genetic predisposition to the
disease. The flare-up had been
triggered by my football injury.
At first, I was just advised to avoid
purine-rich foods, but it didn’t stop
the attacks, which were sometimes
so bad I couldn’t get a shoe on to
go to work. Eventually, I was put on
allopurinol, but the dose wasn’t high
enough, so I had to be prescribed
progressively higher doses.
I hated telling people I had gout- they thought it was funny and
assumed I must be a boozer. Most
people have no idea how painful gout
can be and that it can have nothing
to do with what you eat or drink.
Health
JUNE 2019 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 31