Table of contents:
- List of foods that can help lower uric acid
- Cherry fruit
- Lemon
- Banana
- Cherry fruit
- Low fat milk
- Lentils, peas, and chickpeas
- Broccoli, carrots and tomatoes
- Coffee
- Other types of low-purine foods that are safe for gout sufferers
If you have gout, doctors usually advise you to choose food wisely. The reason is, certain foods that are high in purines make gout symptoms recur at any time. So, if there is a taboo for gout sufferers, what foods are actually good for consumption? Are there certain foods that have been shown to lower uric acid?
List of foods that can help lower uric acid
Gout alias gout is a form of inflammation of the joints (arthritis) due to levels uric acid (uric acid) that is too high in the body. This excess uric acid fluid will eventually collect and harden in the joints, causing joint pain.
One of the causes of high uric acid is high-purine foods, such as organ meats and seafood (seafood), including fish. Therefore, gout sufferers need to eat low-purine foods to help reduce uric acid levels in the body. In addition, some foods that contain certain substances are believed to help overcome this disease.
However, it needs to be understood that there is no single food that can be a cure or cure for gout. Adopting a healthy diet primarily helps reduce the risk of recurrent gout attacks and slows the rate of joint damage.
The following is a list of foods that can be eaten and are often recommended for gout sufferers:
All fruits are generally good for gout sufferers. However, of all types of fruit, cherries are highly recommended because they are believed to lower uric acid levels.
Cherries contain anthocyanins, which are red-purple pigments, which are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. The content has been shown to reduce uric acid levels, relieve joint pain, and reduce the risk of recurring gout attacks. Its effectiveness will increase when taken together with uric acid drugs allopurinol or colchicine.
Reporting from Kidney Atlas, several studies have shown the effectiveness of cherries in the treatment of gout. One study showed that participants who consumed 10-12 cherries, both fresh fruit and fruit extracts including juice, up to three times a day, experienced a decrease in gout attacks by 35 percent.
However, cherries, including fruits that contain high sugar. Therefore, you should be careful about consuming this fruit if you also have a history of diabetes.
Apart from cherries, other fruits that are good for consumption and are believed to lower uric acid are lemons, including lemon juice. The vitamin C content in lemons is thought to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation due to high uric acid.
Reporting from the Arthritis Foundation, Tuhina Neogi, lecturer in medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, said that vitamin C can help the kidneys work more efficiently in removing excess uric acid in the blood. However, more research is needed to prove its effectiveness.
Apart from lemons, gout sufferers can also eat foods or fruits that contain other vitamin C, such as oranges, pineapples, grapefruit, and strawberries.
Bananas can also be used as the fruit of choice for consumption by gout sufferers. The reason is, bananas contain high potassium, which can prevent the formation of uric acid crystals in the body.
In addition, when uric acid crystals have formed, potassium can prevent the hardening of these crystals so that they are more easily excreted by the kidneys. You can eat one or two bananas every day to help lower uric acid.
Cherry fruit or by another name Jamaican cherry is also said to be a good food for gout sufferers. An experimental study in 2013 conducted on mice or mice has proven the benefits of cherry fruit for treating gout.
In this study, it is known that giving cherry fruit in the form of juice can affect the decrease in blood uric acid levels, although this decrease is not as sharp as using allopurinol. However, in another study, giving cherry fruit juice for 8 days did not affect a person's uric acid levels.
Although still controversial, cherry fruit can still be consumed because it contains antioxidant compounds that are good for gout sufferers.
Fresh milk or food or drinks processed from milk, such as cheese and yogurt, are good for consumption by gout sufferers. However, the type of milk chosen should be low fat or nonfat (skim milk or low-fat), in order to get these benefits.
In fact, the Arthritis Foundation suggests that low-fat milk can help lower uric acid levels in the blood and reduce the risk of developing symptoms from time to time. The reason is, the protein in milk can facilitate the removal of uric acid through urine.
A study published in New England Journal of Medicine concluded, foods high in vegetable protein are better for gout sufferers than foods from animal protein. The study reported that intake of vegetable protein did not trigger recurrence of gout symptoms, unlike animal protein.
Some foods contain vegetable protein that is good for gout sufferers, such as peas, beans, and lentils. Foods that are classified as legumes have low levels of purines and can even protect you from gout attacks.
Vegetables are a healthy food for everyone, including gout sufferers. However, you have to be more careful in choosing the type of vegetables. The reason is, some vegetables, such as spinach or asparagus, contain medium-high purines so they are taboo for gout sufferers.
Instead, eat vegetables that contain low purines, such as broccoli, carrots, or tomatoes. Broccoli is known to contain only 70 mg of purine per 100 grams of weight, 2.2 mg of carrots, and 3.1 mg of cherry tomatoes, so this vegetable can actually lower uric acid. In addition, the three types of vegetables also contain various antioxidant compounds that are beneficial for gout sufferers.
Apart from broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes, any low-purine vegetables are also good for gout sufferers. Because, basically, any vegetables that do not contain high purines can be eaten by gout sufferers, such as potatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and others.
Several studies have shown that drinking moderate amounts of coffee, both regular and decaf coffee, is associated with a reduced risk of urate. However, there is no research that shows why coffee has this effect.
In addition, you are not advised to consume coffee if you have other medical conditions. We recommend that you consult your doctor first if you want to consume coffee as a way to reduce uric acid levels.
Other types of low-purine foods that are safe for gout sufferers
In addition to the intake that is believed to reduce levels and prevent gout attacks, you can also consume several other foods. These foods are said to have low purine levels, so they are not taboo for gout sufferers.
Eating the foods below can also meet your daily balanced nutritional needs without increasing your uric acid levels. These foods, namely:
- Nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, or peanuts.
- Grains, such as flaxseeds (flaxseed) or chia seeds.
- Whole grains, such as whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals, and brown rice.
- Egg.
- Several types of fish with low purines that can be eaten for people with gout, such as salmon, catfish, tilapia, or red snapper.
