There are a lot of people who suffer from gout. Gout is a pretty common type of arthritis. A person with high levels of uric acid and inflammation is highly likely to end up suffering from gout. The intake of purine and foods which contain a lot of protein are the main causes of inflammation and increased level of uric acid. People have been suffering from this disease for a long period of time, since the ancient Greece and probably earlier than that. An interesting fact is that back in the days it was the rich people who usually suffered from it because they ate costly and exceptional foods. Nowadays, the situation is not that different and gout hits people who work at a desk all day, lack physical activity and intake quality foods.
What is gout?
When a person has too much uric acid in his or her urine, blood and tissues and that acid crystallizes and saturates in the joints, he or she is suffering from gout. A lot of people are already aware that gout is a type of rheumatoid arthritis which occurs quite a lot. A person may end up suffering from gout overnight. He or she will experience acute pain and inflammation in the joints which are affected. The skin will usually become tender and burnished. Gout usually strikes the toe, ears, hand joints, elbows, knees, ankles. These body parts will swell up, get inflamed, tender and will hurt. A person should treat this problem so that it does not become chronic gout.
Relevance of diet
A lot of studies claim that purine is the main cause because of which gout occurs. Purine is an organic substance which is found mainly in organ meats, beans and red meats. Purine increases the level of uric acid. On the other hand, a person needs to make sure that he or she intakes enough potassium because a lack of it will raise the levels of uric acid.
People should know that foods like hearts, sardines, herring, yeast, smelt, mussels and sweetbreads have a lot of purines in them. Mutton, anchovies, liver, salmon, veal, turkey, bacon, kidneys, goose and grouse also contain purines but not as much. Asparagus, mushrooms and cauliflower are some of the vegetables which are high in purines. People should also limit the intake of alcohol and caffeine in order to avoid gout. Apart from these foods, people should also limit the intake of soft drinks, drugs, cigarettes, white sugar, chocolate, pork, chicken, white rice and some other foods.
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