ORGANIZATIONS
American College of Nutrition. 300 South Duncan Ave.,
Suite 225, Clearwater, FL 33755. Telephone: (727)
446-6086. Website: http://www.amcollnutr.org.
American Diabetes Association. 1701 N. Beauregard St.,
Alexandria, VA 22311. Telephone: (800) 342-2383.
Website: http://www.diabetes.org.
American Dietetic Association. 120 South Riverside Plaza,
Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995. Telephone: (800)
877-1600. Website: http://www.eatright.org.
American Society for Nutrition. 9650 Rockville Pike,
Bethesda, MD 20814. Telephone: (301) 634-7050.
Website: http://www.nutrition.org.
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. 3101 Park
Center Drive, 10th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22302-1594.
Telephone: (703) 305-7600. Website: http://www
.cnpp.usda.gov.
Ken R. WellsGout diet
Definition
A gout diet is a nutritional routine that includes
eating foods low in purines to help reduce the occur-
ance and severity of gout attacks. Gout is a form of
arthritis with symptoms of sudden and severe pain,
redness, and tenderness in joints.
Origins
There has been an association between gout and diet
for at least two thousand years. It is the oldest known
type of arthritis and was described by Greek physican
Hippocrates 2,500 years ago. It subsequently became
known as the disease of kings due to its association
with eating rich foods and alcohol consumption,a
lifestyle only the wealthy had access to. The association
between gout and the production of uric acid has been
known since the 1800s. In his 1861 medical book,Gunn’s
New Domestic Physician: Home Book of Health,Amer-
ican physician John Gunn describes gout as, ‘‘a peculiar
disease, somewhat resembling rheumatism, affecting the
joints, most generally those of the foot or toes.’’ It states
the cause of gout is excess uric acid in the blood. That
description is generally accurate today, although much
more is know about gout, including how it develops,
what causes it, and how it can be treated.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that researchers developed
an accurate understanding of the biochemistry of uric
acid production in the human body. With this under-
standing came effective medical and dietetic therapy for
the condition. In the 1800s, a rudimentary gout diet was
developed that recommended avoidance of ‘‘rich
foods’’ generally defined as cream and other high-fat
dairy products and alcoholic beverages. In the 1960s
and 1970s, as more become known about gout and uric
acid production, the diet was revised and refined. It
encouraged avoiding high-fat and high-protein foods,
alcohol, coffee, and soft drinks, along with anchovies,
asparagus, legumes, mushrooms, meat, animal organ
meat such as heart and liver, and shellfish.Description
A gout diet is low in purines (part of what makes
up DNA), especially those from red meat and seafood.
Traditionally, doctors have recommended people
avoid or limit eating foods high in purines. Foods
that are highest in purines include sardines, mackerel,
organ meats (such as brains, kidneys, and liver), scal-
lops, mussels, goose, caviar, and yeast extract. Foods
that are high in purines that can be eaten in modera-
tion include, crab, shrimp, red meat, poultry, trout,
legumes, beans, lentils, peas, asparagus, cauliflower,
mushrooms, spinach, wheat germ, and bran. There are
no restrictions on eating foods low in purines, includ-
ing dairy products, nuts, eggs, pasta, non-whole grain
breads and cereals, chocolate, andfats(such as butter,
margarine, and cooking oils). Medical research
released in 2004–2006 suggest vegetarian diets that
are high in purines from vegetables andsoyproducts
are less likely to lead to gout than diets containing
meat and seafood.Gout risk factors- Family history of the disease
- Male
- Overweight
- Excessive alcohol
- Purine-rich diet
- Enzyme defect that makes it difficult for the body to break down purines
- Exposure to lead in the environment
- Organ transplant recipient
- Use of medicines such as diuretics, aspirin, cyclosporine, or levodopa
- Take niacin (vitamin)
Signs of gout - Hyperuricemia
- Presence of uric acid crystals in joint fluid
- More than one attack of acute arthritis
- Arthritis that develops in a day, producing a swollen, red, and warm joint
- Attack of arthritis in only one joint, often the toe, ankle, or knee
SOURCE: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and
Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Gout(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale.)Gout diet