A doctor has warned that popular foods and drinks – which we could be having on a daily basis – could be putting many of us at risk of a gout. Anf if you are a fan of your Sunday night roasts or Christmas dinner, you may want to re-think what you put on your plate.
Everyone knows moderation is key however the GP has said that if you have gout or are at risk of getting it, there are some foods you will want to cut down on or “avoid”. Speaking on BBC Morning Live, Dr Xand van Tulleken revealed that “gout is terribly terribly painful. Arthritis is painful in general, but gout is what you would almost call exquisitely painful. That kind of pain that patients describe as not even allowing a bedsheet to touch gently touch their toe because it will set it off.”
According to the NHS, gout is a type of arthritis that causes sudden, severe joint pain and whilst painkillers can help the pain, healthier lifestyle choices can prevent future attacks. Helping people lead a better life and avoid future flare-ups, Dr Xand explained that the cause of gout is all to do with “crystals of a chemical called uric acid forming in your joints. When you break down food, one of the byproducts you make is uric acid and you make urine from a chemical called purines.”
Foods high in purines is oily fish, he warns, adding that “if you have gout, if you’re predisposed to gout, if you’ve had flare-ups in the past, it’s worth really moderating your intake of that and seafood”. As well as this, yeast extract is also something that you should avoid or cut down on. This means things like “gravy and yeast spread” are worth avoiding – so if you like gravy with your Sunday Roast or Christmas dinner, you may want to cut down how much of these dinners you are having.
In addition to these common food items and sauces, Dr Xand stressed that: “Booze dehydrate you and beer can have a lot of purines in it. The picture I’m trying to paint for you is yes there are foods that you should cut down and avoid so offal, meat, fish containing a lot of purines” are just a few he recommends.
He adds: “Increasing your levels of fruit and vegetables not only don’t contain purines, but also they are anti-inflammatory. They improve your gut health and reduce your chance of getting diabetes and moderate the effects of insulin and sugar in your body. Staying hydrated helps your kidneys flush things out so doing exercise – of course you can’t do exercise when you’re toe feels like it’s going to explode – but a general background level of exercise will reduce your level of inflammation” too, he adds.
What are the symptoms of gout?
The main symptoms of gout are:
- Sudden severe pain in a joint – usually your big toe, but it can be in other joints in your feet, ankles, hands, wrists, elbows or knees
- Hot, swollen, red skin over the affected joint – redness may be harder to see on black or brown skin.
Dr Xand concluded his warning by saying: “The important thing to say is if you have a hot, red tender joint that could be something else, that could be infected joint, so it is definitely important to seek care urgently. Speak to your GP. You may get put on antibiotics. Even if those don’t work and it turns out to be gout, it’s not unwise to try that because it can be so dangerous to have an infected joint.”