Ideal Drink Options For People With Gout
Gout is a condition that is associated with high levels of uric acid in the blood, which forms crystals that accumulate around the joints, leading to sudden and severe pain and swelling. People with gout have a high risk of kidney stones.
Drinks or foods high in purines can increase the risk of gout since these substances break down to uric acid during digestion.
Some ideal drink options for people with gout include:
New Year New You Fighting Back When You Have Gout
Now that the holiday feasts are over and the New Year is here, its a good time to take stock of your diet and consider healthy changes especially if you have gout.
Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis that can unleash intensely painful flares in individual joints, often in the big toe. An estimated 8 million Americans experience gout attacks, which can last for a few days. The condition can also become chronic and lead to the destruction of joints. Although theres no cure, there are medications to control gout, as well as lifestyle changes you can make to manage the condition and reduce or even eliminate attacks.
Gout develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid in the blood the uric acid can form needle-like crystals in soft tissues and joints. Uric acid is produced when the body breaks down chemicals called purines. Purines occur naturally in your body but are also found in certain foods and beverages. If your body cant get rid of the uric acid efficiently enough , the uric acid in your blood can build up and reach levels that could cause problems .
One way to minimize the risk of a gout flare is to cut back on high-purine foods. The DASH diet a low-sodium diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables over red meats and processed foods is recommended for people with gout. The Mediterranean diet which emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains and healthy fats may also help. Find more gout info here.
Precautions And Side Effects
Chamomile might interact with some other herbs ormedications, but it is less likely to happen. It is not always recommended topregnant women or asthma sufferers though. Other than that, it is perfectlysafe. Like I said, I have around three cups throughout the day not within 20minutes.
As a short final conclusion, there is definitely a connection between gout and chamomile, but just like I said before, you need to give such a treatment time. Do not stick to one approach only, but discover other foods, herbs and plants that can reduce the uric acid in your blood and make them part of your diet.
It took me over a month to reduce the frequency of my gout attacks with chamomile, but I must say it is much faster when it comes to alleviating pain right away. It is probably the best remedy I have tried to reduce the discomfort during an attack only if applied topically.
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Could Reduce Fertility In Women
Like most teas, Ceylon tea contains caffeine which has its advantages and disadvantages.
As per a study published in the University of Nevada School of Medicine, higher levels of caffeine could reduce fertility in women by around 27 percent. They interfere with Estrogen production and thus increases the risk of infertility in women, and makes it difficult to conceive.
To avoid this risk, drink Ceylon tea in moderation or better go with the decaffeinated variant.
May Hinders Minerals Absorption
When consumed in moderation, the laxative properties of the Ceylon tea improve bowel movement and provides relief from constipation and other digestive issues like abdominal pain, gas, bloating and flatulence, etc.
However, it contains caffeine. Excess of which could interfere with our bodys ability to absorb and retain essential minerals.
To add insult to the injury, the diuretic properties of caffeine even flush out the essential minerals like zinc calcium and magnesium, etc from our body.
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Alcohol And Gout Risk
Although beer may be the worst drink for gout, any alcoholic beverage can trigger gout symptoms in people who are prone to the disease. “Alcohol causes the kidneys to excrete alcohol instead of excreting uric acid. That increases the amount of uric acid in the blood, which could provoke a gout attack in about one or two days,” warns David Freeman, MD, a rheumatologist at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass.
Orange Juice And Gout Risk
Many sugar-sweetened juices can increase your risk for gout, but naturally-sweetened juices like orange juice may also be a gout risk trigger. “In the last 10 years, there has been some evidence from some studies that high fructose in fruit juices may be associated with a higher risk of gout,” says Dr. Freeman. Fructose is a sugar that is added to soft drinks, but it occurs naturally in orange juice, so drinking too much OJ could be as risky as drinking a sugary soft drink.
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Take Your Gout Medication Regularly
In addition to the strategies described above, a doctor will usually recommend taking a prescription medication, such as allopurinol, that is proven effective in preventing gout attacks.
Allopurinol and other medications that lower the uric acid can have several benefits, including reducing gout flares, improving function and quality of life, increasing productivity at work, decreasing sick-days from work, and reducing gout-associated cost. Like most drugs, the long-term use of prescription gout medications carries a small potential of side effects and health risks.9 You should discuss the potential benefits and risks with your provider.
Do I Need To Stop Eating Meat If I Have Gout
No, but practice moderation, Dr. Burg reiterates. Avoid organ meats such as liver, though, because they have higher levels of purines, which can cause flare-ups. Moderate intake of lean meats such as chicken and turkey should not affect your condition. Seafood such as shrimp and lobster tends to be higher in purines, as well, so dont make them a regular part of your diet.
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Is Coffee Creamer Bad For Gout
Coffee creamers arent bad for gout. However, there isnt any evidence to prove whether it does any good or not.
People like to add creamers or sugar to their drinks for a better taste. So its a very common practice in many diets.
Creamers generally contain water, sugar, micellar casein, flavorings, cellulose gel, and other carbohydrates. Among these, micellar casein is a milk derivative and you may know that milk supports the elimination of uric acid.
However, creamer isnt a pure source of milk so the potential benefits might not be profound as for milk. You can add creamer whatsoever in your coffee which may enhance the flavoring.
Also, creamers are generally full of trans fat and sugar so try to control the serving size. Remember, coffee works the best when drank in a simple form with the least additives.
Loads of sugar or similar contents are likely to act as a trigger for gout pain. If possible try to have a sugar-free creamer.
Literature Search And Study Characteristics
The flow chart for the identification of the included studies was presented in Fig. . A total of two hundred and seventy four potentially relevant publications were retrieved during the initial literature search. After eliminating eighty duplicated articles, one hundred and ninety four articles were identified for detailed evaluation. One hundred and nineteen studies were excluded initially. Then, sixteen reviews, case reports or letters, forty two non-human studies, and two articles without full-text accessibility were removed . All of the excluded articles are listed in Additional file . Eventually, ten cross-sectional, one casecontrol and four cohort studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Eleven, five and two studies were related to the associations of tea consumption with the SUA level, HU and the risk of gout, respectively. Table summarizes the main characteristics of these fifteen included studies. The methodological qualities of these studies were shown in Additional file : Table S1 , Table S2 and Table S3 .
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Should I Avoid All Rich Foods
No. Patients often ask me about desserts, as well as entrees with rich sauces, says Dr. Burg. Its a common myth that these foods cause gout. When eaten in moderation, desserts and other rich foods do not affect gout flare-ups. But moderation is the key word. Rich foods might not cause flare-ups directly, but they can cause weight gain. And obesity is a major risk factor for gout attacks.
At some point, the misconception spread that people with gout should avoid dairy. But in fact, certain dairy products especially milk can help you remove uric acid from your body, Dr. Burg adds.
Is Tea Good For Gout
Studies and reviews couldnt find any association between tea consumption and low gout risk.
This systematic analysis on the relation between tea with serum uric level or gout revealed that the consumption of tea is unlikely to have any association with a lower risk of gout in both females and males.
This study on Black tea reduces uric acid and C-reactive protein levels in humans susceptible to cardiovascular diseases show that black tea consumption induced a significant decrease in uric acid.
However, another journal named the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that the alkaloid purine is present in black tea and you know purines break down into uric acids.
Moderate intake rarely harms one but its best to go for the best suitable choice to prevent a displeasing situation.
Try to have green tea if necessary since its one of the best sources of antioxidants.
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Gout And Chamomile The Connection
So, how does chamomile help against gout? As you may already know since you were a kid, chamomile is a relaxing tea. It has anti-inflammatory purposes and will reduce swelling. Your grandma used to give it to you for pretty much anything. Generally speaking, chamomile is your top option against stress of any kind.
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When a gout attack occurs, you may already be familiarwith the feeling pain, stress and discomfort. Too much stress will naturallyproduce cortisol. On the same note, too much cortisol will affect the recoveryrate of your body, so you need to chill down. This is when chamomile kicks in.
At the same time, chamomile will also preventexquisite inflammation. Let me make it clear upfront chamomile is moreefficient when dealing with a gout attack. It is natural and a greatalternative to classic painkillers. It will reduce the intensity of your attacks,but not their frequency.
Is Herbal Tea Good For Gout
Most herbal teas, except black tea, are actually recommended for patients with gout. I know that because I have tried all of them. One, an interesting alternative is to drink brew devils claw.
All you have to do is to:
- place the leaves in a metal strainer,
- place it in the boiling water
- after 10 minutes you have a cup of tea.
However, this must be avoided if you take blood thinner medications. In essence, all decaf teas are highly recommended as well, due to high levels of antioxidant properties.
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Turmeric and bromelain are also highly recommended when it comes to people with gout. Consume each tea and gout will be decreased in the case of symptoms. I have consumed both of them and I am more than just satisfied with the overall effect. They have helped me reduce the symptom intensity and made me well better. Of course, they are delicious and I have been consuming them for over a year. Not a single drawback was noticed by me.
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Keep in mind that the tea you will consume for the first time wont taste as good as you hoped so. Your body will need some time to get used to it and only after some time you will enjoy a cup of tea you want to drink. Of course, I would recommend you to try many different types of herbal teas and to choose the one you like the most.
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Does Green Tea Actually Help With Gout
Green tea has been a favorite beverage in China since 2737 BC and the Chinese believe it be very powerful cure-all that may be used to help with weight loss, release toxins from our body , helping heal wounds and even may help to fight cancer. Green tea is made from the leaves from Camellia sinensis and doesnt go through oxidation, which causes it to lose some of its powerful healing properties. The mean content of flavonoids in a cup of green tea is higher than that in the same volume of other food and drink items that are traditionally considered of health contributing nature, including fresh fruits, vegetable juices or wine.
Black Tea Contains Purine
A study published in the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry” in 2004 identified alkaloids called purines in black tea. Purines have been associated with an increased risk of gout, according to a study published in the “The New England Journal of Medicine” in 2004. Over 12 years, scientists monitored the diet of 47,150 participants and surveyed their risk of gout every four years. By the end of the study, they found that meat and seafood put the participants at the highest risk for gout. Meat and some vegetables are high in purines, but the study found that moderate consumption of vegetables with purines did not increase gout risk. To reduce your risk of gout or gout attacks, the University of Maryland Medical Center advises limiting your intake of foods that contain purine.
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Does Coffee Cause Gout
Coffee on its own doesnt cause gout. The main reason for gout is the build-up of uric acids that cause inflammation in the joints.
The study on the Coffee Consumption May Lower Blood Uric Acid Levels The Precursor of Gout showed that coffee consumption is associated with lower uric acid levels. However, caffeine isnt the sole contributor to this benefit. All the components in the coffee produce this unique blend of fighting gout.
Although the majority of study has revealed the beneficial properties of coffee for gout, there are still certain risk factors that need to be considered.
For example, age, obesity, family condition, certain health condition, alcohol consumption, etc all contribute to the risk of gout. Even if coffee can prevent the risk, its a stimulant and you cant depend on the drink on the regular basis.
Too much coffee will make you feel anxious or hit you with a severe headache. These side effects of caffeine overdose may risk your symptoms of gout.
Some common symptoms of gout include:
- Inflammation and redness in the affected area
- Intense pain or swelling in the joint
- Discomfort in the affected joint
Caffeine And Gout Risk
Studies show that caffeine may protect you from gout because caffeine is similar in chemical structure to a common gout medication. But other research shows that increasing your caffeine intake can actually trigger gout pain in fact, one study found that suddenly doubling your caffeine intake could increase the risk of gout symptoms by up to 80 percent. So if you are a coffee or tea drinker, caffeine could be helping protect you just remember that a sudden binge could bring on a gout attack.
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Teas That Help Fight Gout
Some beneficial teas could potentially improve your symptoms. Decaffeinated green tea is recommended for its antioxidant content. Brew devil’s claw to help reduce inflammation and pain if you have gout. Simply place 1 teaspoon of the herb in a metal strainer, put the strainer in boiling hot water and steep for five to 10 minutes. Do not drink in conjunction with blood-thinning medications. Other herbal teas that may help gout include turmeric and bromelain.
Wheres The Proof That Green Tea Helps With Gout
The evidence pointing to green teas health benefits are plenty, for example, studies have shown that drinking green tea may be a very effective remedy in reducing the risk of developing certain kinds of arthritis like gout. People in countries like China, India and Japan, who drink lots of green tea, have a lower rate of developing diseases like arthritis and cancer. Green teas high antioxidant concentration may help reduce the joint inflammation and swelling characteristic of gout.
Green tea contains a wide variety of antioxidant compounds known as polyphenols, including gallic acid and the catechin compounds epigallocatechin, gallocatechin and epicatechin or EGCG for short. EGCG has been described as possessing strong cancer fighting properties, stronger indeed than vitamins C and E. EGCG also seems to have the best bioavailability which means that its efficiently absorbed by your body. In a research published in Arthritis Research & Therapy, they found that EGCG makes up more than half of the catechins found in green tea. That means it has up to 100% more antioxidant content than that of vitamin E or C.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, if you drink 2 to 4 cups a day prepared from green tea leaves, it may help control the symptoms of gout but more research is needed to determine the effects of long-term green tea use. You should give your gout green tea remedy a few weeks to see if it helps.
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