Gout (gouty arthritis) is an inflammation of one or more joints caused by the deposition of uric acid salts in the joint tissues. Gout affects those who have high levels of uric acid in the blood.
Gout is more common in middle-aged and elderly men, but in recent years there has been an increase in the incidence in women. In Russia, 0.1% of the Russian population suffers from gout. In the US and Europe, gout affects 2% of the population, among men aged 55-65, 4-6% suffer from gout.
Primary gout occurs as a result of congenital metabolic disorders and malnutrition, secondary - with lead poisoning, some blood diseases, etc. (less common).
Pain in the joints is caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood due to its formation from purine bases, delayed excretion by the kidneys, and a change in tissue pH to the acid side. However, seizures are often provoked by the consumption of purine-rich foods, fatty foods, and alcoholic beverages. At the same time, microcrystals of uric acid are deposited in the joints, which lead to an acute inflammatory process with sharp pains. Despite the fact that the role of the alimentary (food) factor in the development of gout is not decisive, patients with gout should pay attention to foods that contain a lot of purine bases. It has been proven that the consumption of foods rich in purines increases the level of uric acid in a person's blood by a factor of two or more.

Purine diet

Purine grounds are directly related to metabolic processes, the violation of which is manifested by a delay in the body of uric acid and the deposition of its salts in tissues. In particular, gout is almost always the result of a violation of the metabolism of purine substances.
4 times a day, in between and on an empty stomach - drinking.

Recommended meals:
soups
Vegetarian: borsch, cabbage soup, vegetable, potato, with the addition of cereals, cold (okroshka, beetroot), dairy, fruit.
Exclude: meat, fish and mushroom broths, from sorrel, spinach, legumes;

bread and flour products
Wheat and rye bread, from flour of the 1st and 2nd grade. Various baked goods, including those with the inclusion of ground bran.
Limit: pastry products;

meat, poultry, fish
Low-fat species and varieties. Up to 3 times a week, 150 g of boiled meat or 160-170 g of boiled fish. After boiling, they are used for various dishes - stewed, baked, fried, cutlet mass products. You can combine meat and fish in approximately equal amounts.
Exclude: liver, kidneys, tongue, brains, meat of young animals and birds, sausages, smoked meats, salted fish, canned meat and fish, caviar

dairy
Milk, sour-milk drinks, cottage cheese and dishes from it, sour cream, cheese.
Exclude: salty cheeses;

eggs
1 egg per day in any cooking;

cereals
In moderation, any food.
Exclude: legumes;

vegetables
In increased quantity, raw and in any culinary processing. Potato dishes.
Limit: salted and pickled;
Exclude: mushrooms, fresh legume pods, spinach, sorrel, rhubarb, cauliflower;

snacks
Salads from fresh and pickled vegetables, fruits, vinaigrettes, vegetable caviar, squash, eggplant.
Exclude: salty snacks, smoked meats, canned food, fish caviar;

fruits, sweet dishes and sweets
In an increased amount of fruits and berries. Fresh and with any culinary processing. Dried fruits. Creams and milk jelly. Marmalade, marshmallow, non-chocolate sweets, jam, honey, meringues.
Exclude: chocolate, figs, raspberries, cranberries;

sauces and spices
On a vegetable broth, tomato, sour cream, milk. Citric acid, vanillin, cinnamon, bay leaf. Dill, parsley.
Exclude: sauces on meat, fish, mushroom broths, pepper, mustard, horseradish;

beverages
Tea with lemon, milk, weak coffee with milk. Juices of fruits, berries and vegetables, fruit drinks, water with juices, kvass. Decoctions of wild rose, wheat bran, dried fruits.
Exclude: cocoa, strong tea and coffee;

fats
Butter, cow's ghee and vegetable oils. Limit pork fat.
Exclude: beef, lamb, cooking fats.

Sample diet menu number 6.
First breakfast: vegetable salad with vegetable oil, soft-boiled egg, carrot pudding with apples and millet, tea.
Second breakfast: rosehip broth.
Lunch: milk noodle soup, fried potato cutlets, jelly.
Afternoon snack: fresh apples.
Dinner: baked syrniki, cabbage rolls stuffed with srisom vegetables, tea.
At night: a decoction of wheat bran.

Products containing purine bases

Brain,
kidney,
slaughter liver,
sorrel,
spinach,
cocoa,
coffee,
asparagus,
Brussels sprouts,
mature peas,
beans,
lentils,
black long leaf tea.

In animal products, purines are often present along with fairly large amounts of cholesterol.

Fruits and berries, most juices, and nuts can be consumed without any special restrictions. It is useful to spend fruit, vegetable, kefir, cottage cheese or dairy fasting days once a week. Of the berries for gout, only cranberries and lingonberries are not recommended, the use of which leads to an increase in the acidity of urine, which contributes to the formation of stones in the urinary tract during uraturia.

Fluid in the gout diet

The amount of fluid in the daily diet of a patient with gout should be at least 1.5-2 liters. It is useful to drink tea, milk, fruit drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, hydrocarbonate mineral waters. The amount of kitchen salt per day should be limited to 6-8 g. The treatment of gout by fasting is contraindicated, because already on the first day of fasting, the amount of purine bases and uric acid in the patient's blood increases significantly. This is due to the increased breakdown of proteins, which can provoke an attack of gouty pain in the first days of fasting. During gout attacks, the therapeutic diet should be especially careful. Until the end of the attack, meat and fish, mushrooms and legumes, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, as well as dishes from these products, are completely excluded from the patient's diet. It is advisable to consume up to 2 liters of various drinks and alkaline mineral waters a day in order to avoid precipitation of uric acid salts in the form of crystals in the urinary tract, as well as their microcrystallization in other tissues. Patients with gout are strictly forbidden to consume even small doses of alcoholic beverages, since alcohol can provoke an attack.

Daily diet for gout patients

With severe pain in the joints, it is advisable to spend a fasting cottage cheese day, but fasting, even for a short time, is strictly prohibited. During an attack of gout, it is advisable to consume up to 100 g of nuts per day, which are not only a source of valuable proteins for the body, but also contribute to the alkalization of the internal environment of the human body, which prevents the precipitation of uric acid crystals in the tissues and urinary tract. Patients with gout can switch to an ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet in their daily diet, which will significantly improve their well-being and positively affect the course of the disease. At the same time, the source of proteins for the body is plant foods, as well as eggs and dairy products. If patients with gout have obesity, the energy value of food should be reduced by limiting simple carbohydrates.

Gout: treatment with diet and folk remedies. Herbs for gout.

In mild forms of gout, it is recommended to eat wild strawberry berries: in the morning on an empty stomach one or two glasses, in the afternoon one glass and one or two glasses before bedtime. In case of gout, fresh blueberry fruits. Leaf tea can help black currant: Pour two teaspoons of chopped currant leaves with a glass of boiling water. Leave for two hours. Drink this tea daily between meals.

fennel seeds also help treat gout. A decoction of fennel seeds: pour a tablespoon of dill into 200 ml of boiling water, boil over low heat for one to two minutes. Leave for ten minutes. Drink warm once a day.
Various vegetable oils are very useful for gout - mustard, sesame, linseed, milk thistle, and especially - hemp. Oils contain a balanced amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, a complex of fat-soluble vitamins and trace elements necessary for health and well-being. Such oils should be regularly included in the diet for dressing cereal side dishes, cereals, salads from raw or boiled vegetables.

Folk treatment of gout.

From medicinal plants and folk remedies, for gout, you can use the following.
St. John's wort - 1 part, chamomile flowers - 2 parts, linden flowers - 1 part, black elderberry flowers - 1 part. Pour 1 tbsp. collection spoon of 200 ml of boiling water, leave for 1-2 hours in a thermos. Take half a glass 4-5 times a day for 2-3 months.
Take 1 part of meadowsweet flowers, 1.5 parts of bearberry leaf, 1 part of hernia grass, 1.5 parts of corn stigmas, 1 part of bean pericarp, 1.5 parts of elderberry herbaceous, 1.5 parts of birch buds, 2 parts of horsetail , 1 part knotweed grass, 2 parts blue cornflower flowers. 4 tbsp. spoons of the collection pour 1 liter of cold water, insist overnight, simmer for 5-10 minutes in the morning, insist for half an hour, strain, squeeze, take 6-7 times a day for a month.
At gouty arthritis a decoction of black elderberry has long been used (flowers, bark, leaves, roots are used). Take 20 g of flowers, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for 1 hour, strain. Drink a third cup 3-4 times a day before meals with 1 teaspoon of honey. Take the last portion of the hot decoction at night.
For gout(during an exacerbation) acute pain can be removed with a slice of pickled apple, pressing it against the gouty bump and fixing it with a bandage for the night.
Take in equal proportions St. John's wort (grass), medicinal chamomile (flowers), heart-shaped linden (flowers), black elderberry (flowers). 3 art. pour 0.5 l of boiling water in a thermos, pour 1.5 hours, strain and drink a glass 2 times a day 30-40 minutes before meals as a means of normalizing metabolism and promoting the release of uric acid. At the same time, take 0.5-1 teaspoon of flower pollen, bee pollen and pollen (pre-infuse a single dose in 50 ml of boiled water at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally) 2-3 times a day for 20-30 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is 40 days.
Melt 100 g of fresh unsalted butter, remove the foam after boiling, add 100 ml of vodka, in which the golden mustache was infused for 10 days (a shoot no less than 20 cm long), set fire to this mixture, letting the alcohol boil. The remaining mass is used for rubbing into the sore spot 1 time per day for a month. Before the procedure, slightly warm the ointment and massage the sore spot until it feels warm.
The following decoction is also effective: pour 3 teaspoons of finely chopped gentian root with 3 glasses of water, boil over low heat for 7-10 minutes, strain. Drink an hour before meals or an hour and a half after a glass 3 times a day.
Take 30 g of crushed rhizomes with sand sedge roots, pour 3.5 cups of water and cook in a sealed container until about 2 cups of liquid remain. Then leave the broth for 2 hours, strain and take a quarter cup 3 times a day before meals.
Pour 15 g of rhizomes with roots of saxifrage femur 0.5 l of water, boil for 15 minutes on low heat, insist, wrapped for 4 hours, strain, take a third of a glass 3-4 times a day before meals.
Traditional medicine for gout recommends the following remedy: prepare a tincture of autumn colchicum tubers with apple cider vinegar. To do this, pour 1 part of dry crushed tubers with 12 parts of vinegar, leave for 2 weeks, apply for rubbing.
For gout and polyarthritis, take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of dry apple peel powder and apple leaves, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour. Drink half a glass of infusion 2-3 times a day. The course of treatment is 1 month.
Such a collection is effective: 2 tbsp. tablespoons chopped burdock root, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of crushed rhizomes of couch grass, 2 tbsp. mix spoons of tricolor violet herb and pour 1 liter of boiling water in a thermos, leave for 1-2 hours, strain and take half a cup for gout 5 times a day an hour after meals.
Take 50 g of mullein flowers, pour 0.5 liters of vodka or 70-degree alcohol, leave for 3 weeks, strain and use for rubbing.
Finely chop the autumn colchicum roots, pour 50-60-degree alcohol in a ratio of 1: 5, leave in a dark place, shaking occasionally. Use for rubs.
Colchicum bulb and ash leaves take 30 g each and pour 300 ml of Malaga wine. Infuse for 8 days, strain, add tincture of aconite and foxglove, 1 teaspoon each. Take 1 teaspoon morning and evening with a cup of tea.
Take sherry wine - 500 ml, colchicum bulbs - 250 g, poppy seeds - 60 g, rum - 30 ml. Pour wine over the onion, add poppy seeds and rum (for flavoring). Take 20 drops in 1 glass of water 2 times a day.

Patients with gout must always monitor the content of purines, otherwise an acute attack may follow, accompanied by terrible and unpleasant symptoms. To understand what a diet is for, you need to know the whole process.

How uric acid is formed, exits, accumulates:

1. Purines are vital in the body. They are part of the chromosomes in the nuclei of cells, therefore they carry genetic information. When purines break down, a product called uric acid is formed.
2. Excreted with urine.
3. When a person eats too much food containing purines, the level of uric acid in the blood rises. The body does not remove all the acid, it begins to accumulate.
4. A high level of uric acid concentration leads to an increased risk of gout, it begins to accumulate in the joints and soft tissues, causing the corresponding symptoms.

From the above, it should be remembered that a high level of purines is the cause of a high concentration of uric acid. So, it is necessary to eat food containing a small amount of purines.

Is Dietary Nutrition Really Necessary?

All doctors will answer yes to this question. Of course, following dietary recommendations is the choice of the patient, but still following a special diet will only have a positive effect on the general condition of the patient. Diet for gout will help prevent acute attacks of the disease.

Due to the diet, many patients then do not require drug treatment or their use is reduced several times. What allows the patient to continue life without any restrictions, the main thing is to follow a diet, eating only healthy foods.

Especially the gout diet is an integral part of the treatment if the patient is obese. Too strict diet will only contribute to a new acute outbreak of an attack of the disease. In this case, the diet is adjusted individually, since it is aimed not only at the restoration and reduction of purines, but also at weight loss.

By adhering to the following rules, you can protect yourself from gout. Diet food is a must. Without it, treatment will be useless.

empirical rules for patients with gout:

1. Avoid offal and asparagus, because they contain a large amount of purines, which are quickly converted by the body into uric acid.
2. Exclude alcoholic drinks. Alcohol leads to an increase in the concentration of uric acid in the blood. Regular alcohol consumption causes a recurrence of an acute attack of gout.
3. Hydration. Increasing fluid intake for gout is of course desirable as more uric acid can be excreted. It is necessary to take diuretics of folk origin, for example, decoctions based on nettle and sage with a small amount of honey. In addition, a special drink made from flaxseed can well flush out uric acid from the blood.
4. Coffee, tea and cocoa are harmless. There are no restrictions on the use of these drinks. This is due to the fact that the purines contained in them are not converted by the body into uric acid.
5. Avoid large portions of meat. The use of food of animal origin is permitted, but it is advisable to consume them in moderation.
6. Foods high in fat have a negative effect on uric acid levels, so fatty foods should be removed from the diet. Steam cooking is recommended.

What products are strictly prohibited?

Many foods that contain high levels of purines should be eliminated from the diet. Reducing their use will normalize their levels and uric acid in the blood, which will lead to a gradual decrease in the symptoms of the disease. In addition to meat products, many types of fish are also high in purines. To better understand what you are facing, table #1 has been created describing the amount of purines in foods and the level of uric acid in the body after eating a purine-rich food.

Table number 1. Food rich in purines

If the patient cannot deny himself any product, he needs to consume more vitamins, such as folic acid and vitamin C. Folic acid and vitamin C help reduce the deposition of crystals in the joints. Sometimes the use of high doses of dietary supplements is reasonable, especially if they are not included in sufficient quantities in the patient's diet. However, agents do not replace a balanced and healthy diet, so products containing these components should be chosen first.

Meat and fish products with an average content of purine

A person needs meat and fish products, they contain many vitamins. Many types of meat and fish are not desirable, but they can be replaced with other types that contain less purines. For example, you can replace red meat with white. Despite the fact that the products (table No. 2) contain a smaller amount of purines, they should not be consumed in large quantities.

Table number 2. Medium Purine Foods

Foods low in purine

With a high content of purines, a strict diet should be followed. The maximum amount of purines consumed should not exceed 170 mg per day. These are mainly products of plant origin and most dairy products (table No. 3).

Since the indicators are too small, individuals who are prescribed such a diet should be under the supervision of medical personnel. It is advisable to use such restrictions for a short period. Their number should be increased in the future.

Table number 3. Foods low in purine

There are products that work against gout. Allocate cherries, sweet cherries, strawberries, carrots, plums, celery, cranberries. These ingredients can be consumed daily. Cranberry juice has a positive effect on the body, in particular, on the urinary tract.

Remember to drink 2-3 liters of water or herbal tea throughout the day. Drinking plenty of water has a detoxifying effect on the kidneys, removes uric acid, and improves overall well-being.

In the Middle Ages, gout was called the "disease of kings and aristocrats", they devoted not only scientific works to it, but also sang it in lyrical works. The reason for this is the prevalence of the disease among the "best representatives" of humanity. Traditionally, the disease accompanied those who could afford to eat a lot and tasty, drink a large amount of alcohol, that is, rulers, nobility, officials, scientists and people of art close to the court.

Features of the disease

What danger awaits a patient with gout. Gout is manifested by increased formation of uric acid in the body and the deposition of its crystals (sodium monourates) in the tissues. It can be in both women and men. In the vast majority of cases, they settle in the joints, causing inflammation, swelling and soreness.

Symptoms

Symptoms of gout are characteristic, but, unfortunately, during the period of severe symptoms, the disease becomes irreversible. At the first stage, it develops asymptomatically, imperceptibly. It is possible to clarify the likelihood of development only by a blood test, in which an elevated level of uric acid should be observed. But even in this case, it is incorrect to talk about the unequivocal presence of the disease, since an increase in the level of uric acid can accompany other diseases, including urolithiasis, inflammation, and tumor formations.

Gout manifests itself only at the moment when a sufficiently large volume of sodium monourate crystals is accumulated in the joints. This causes acute gouty arthritis, which can only be managed with intensive care. During the period of exacerbation, the patient is shown inpatient treatment, while when the intercritical period is reached, a corrective diet for gout is recommended in order to normalize the level of uric acid in the body.

Causes

There is an opinion that the tendency to gout is determined genetically. However, diet and lifestyle influence the development of the disease to the greatest extent. Modern scientific research has confirmed the direct relationship between the daily diet and the incidence of gout and the intensity of its manifestation.

The main causes of the disease are considered the main "scourges" of the twentieth century.

• Obesity. In recent years, the incidence of gout has increased exponentially. As a rule, residents of developed, prosperous countries suffer from the disease. According to studies, the number of cases over the past fifteen years has increased by 3-8 times, along with a clear trend towards obesity in the population. Excess weight gain contributes to the use of large quantities of meat, seafood, fatty foods and fast food, beer. In combination with a sedentary lifestyle, this leads to resistance (cell immunity) to insulin and arterial hypertension. These conditions provoke the production of uric acid in the body. According to the results of several studies conducted by American and Chinese scientists in 2002-2005, obesity and overweight greatly increase the risk of developing gout.
• Alcohol intake. The occurrence of the disease was associated with the frequent use of alcohol in the Middle Ages. In modern history, this relationship has been confirmed empirically. In 2004, the results of a study on the effect of alcohol on the development of gout in men were published. Three American specialists H. Choi, K. Atkinson and E. Karlson collected observational data for more than fifty thousand Americans for twelve years. During this time, seven hundred and thirty subjects who regularly consumed alcohol developed gout. Scientists noted the direct relationship of the disease not with all alcoholic beverages, but with beer and strong alcohol, such as port wine and similar drinks. At the same time, the effect of wine consumption on the incidence of gout was not revealed.
• Lifestyle . The modern approach to gout allows us to interpret this disease as characteristic of people living in economically developed regions. This conclusion was made by Chinese experts Z. Miao and C. Li as a result of a study conducted in 2008. It was attended by five thousand people from urban and rural areas. Scientists noted that the incidence of the disease in cities is 13 times higher than in villages. The reason for this is the level of economic development of the regions and the availability of the "benefits of civilization" for a particular person.

In each case, the direct influence of diet on the occurrence of the disease is noted. Therefore, proper nutrition for gout is an urgent issue in its manifestations, after the attenuation of inflammation and for the prevention of relapses of acute arthritis. With gout, you should stick to the right food.

Rules for compiling a diet for gout

Diet for gout in the period of exacerbation and remission should exclude foods rich in purines. According to current therapeutic guidelines, reducing the amount of purines in the diet reduces the production of uric acid.

What is not allowed

The highest amount of purines is characteristic of protein products. Therefore, the list of products that need to be limited looks impressive.

What can

Nutrition for gout during an exacerbation allows the use of the following products.

What is possible, what is not possible in nutrition with gout of the legs is clarified by the treatment. It is designed to correct the diet in conditions with increased formation of stones, uric acid crystals in the body and helps to normalize purine metabolism.

In accordance with the recommendations of the treatment table No. 6, it is allowed to eat food with a total energy value of up to 2900 Kcal per day, provided that there is no excess weight. During the day, you need to plan four to five meals with plenty of fluids in between.

“The diet for gout of the legs provides a significant reduction in purine-containing foods in the diet,” comments dietitian Lyudmila Denisenko. “At the same time, it is aimed at correcting concomitant conditions, including stimulating the excretion of uric acid by the kidneys, normalizing the work of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.” There are a number of products that are prohibited for consumption.

• Reduce weight. Excess body weight aggravates the course of the disease, provokes a violation of the kidneys, and excludes the possibility of normal excretion of uric acid. If you are overweight, reduce the energy value of the diet.
• Eat the Right Fats. When reducing the level of animal fats in the diet, include vegetable oils, in particular, olive, sunflower, corn oils.
• Take a multivitamin. It is especially important for the correction of the condition to consume a sufficient amount of vitamins C, PP and B2.
• Drink a lot. In the absence of edema and normal functioning of the kidneys, abundant fluid intake is recommended. It is important for you to drink at least two and a half liters of liquids per day, including plain water with the addition of lemon juice, as well as fruit and berry juices, herbal teas, and milk.
• Drink alkaline mineral water. It alkalizes urine, which makes its composition active against uric acid. The alkaline reaction of urine promotes the dissolution of dangerous compounds and reduces the risk of disease progression.
• Eat foods that alkalize your urine. These include almost all fresh fruits and berries. Their value in the diet also lies in the high content of potassium, which has a diuretic effect.
• Reduce salt content. By itself, salt contributes to the deposition of uric acid crystals in the joints. Its increased content in food reduces the intensity of urine excretion and causes swelling, which eliminates the necessary diuretic effect during exacerbations. Reduce the amount of salt in your meals to a minimum.
• Eliminate alcohol. Alcoholic drinks disrupt the functioning of the kidneys, which eliminates the possibility of removing uric acid from the body. Even their periodic intake can provoke an attack and exacerbation.
• Arrange fasting days. You should eat the right food. Once a week, arrange for the body to unload from plentiful food. What is good for you is one-day mono-diets on foods poor in purines. In the summer, arrange fasting days on watermelons, which perfectly remove uric acid and salts from the body. In spring and autumn, use cucumber and apple mono-diets. In winter, potatoes are suitable. All of these foods are rich in potassium and fiber that are valuable to you.

In the event of an exacerbation, the standard recommendations on what is possible and what is not are not relevant! If you experience a gouty attack, contact your doctor immediately. In nutrition, choose a one-, two-day mono-diet or exclude foods completely and drink only liquids. It can be alkaline mineral water, weak sweet herbal tea, water with lemon juice, fruit juices.

Menu

Use the menu for every day of the correct diet for gout and high uric acid. It presents simple recipes that you can change at your discretion, using a variety of vegetables, cereals, healthy drinks.

Modern therapy for gout

Recently, there have been significant changes in the treatment of gout. They are based on data from studies conducted since 2002 in different countries around the world. In 2008, in the scientific publication "Modern Rheumatology" a scientific article was published on the importance of diet and the use of biologically active food supplements in the treatment of this disease.

The authors of the article A. I. Ilyina and V. G. Barskova, researchers of the Institute of Rheumatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, note a close relationship between gout and a number of other diseases, including diabetes mellitus, diseases of the cardiovascular system.

“Previously, patients were advised to follow an unattractive diet based on the use of foods low in purines, protein and carbohydrates,” notes Anna Ilyina. “But even with strict adherence, according to research, such a diet can reduce the level of uric acid in the body by no more than fifteen percent.”

• Weight loss. Normalizes metabolic processes in the body.
• Moderate carbohydrate restriction and relative increase in protein volume. Observations of experts show that the optimal calorie intake for gout is 1600 Kcal per day. At the same time, a sufficient protein content reduces the frequency of gouty attacks.
• Increase in unsaturated fats. The use of monounsaturated fats contained in vegetable oils increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin, reduces blood glucose levels, thereby eliminating the associated risk of increased formation of uric acid.

Also, the results of the research refute the data that were previously considered indisputable. This allows you to adjust the diet for gout, increasing the amount of healthy and safe foods in the diet.

Plant foods rich in purines

The main restriction of the diet concerns the exclusion from the diet of foods rich in purines. These are all types of meat, fish and poultry, as well as mushrooms, legumes, and some types of vegetables.

However, recent studies show differences between the bioavailability of purines from protein and plant foods. The first, indeed, are assimilated almost completely. But mushrooms, cauliflower, corn, soybeans, spinach, lentils and asparagus do not cause an increase in the level of uric acid in the body. You can use them.

Protein

It was previously thought that increased levels of protein in the diet provoked an increase in uric acid levels and an accompanying exacerbation of gout. It has now been found that a high-protein diet, on the contrary, suppresses the production of uric acid.

However, recommendations for high protein intake for people with this condition are not possible. Due to the violation of metabolic processes in the body, the level of uric acid can indeed change. But this suggests that there is no point in being afraid to consume protein foods. They are not at all as dangerous to the body as previously thought.

Fats

The introduction of unsaturated fats into the diet is of exceptional value for the treatment of gout. But the level of animal fats in dairy products must be strictly controlled. There is evidence that regular consumption of yogurt and milk with a reduced level of fat reduces the risk of gout and normalizes the patient's condition.

Dairy

The diet allows the use of all types of dairy products. Modern research confirms their benefits. Moreover, it has been established that milk proteins casein and lactalbumin have a therapeutic effect on the body. They increase the rate of excretion of uric acid in the urine.

Alcohol

The data on the influence of alcohol on the development of gout are undeniable. Studies have confirmed the relationship between the amount of alcohol regularly drunk by the patient and the incidence of the disease.

So when drinking alcohol in the amount of 15 grams per day, the risk of the disease increases by 1.5 times. And an increase in the norm of alcohol to fifty grams per day increases the risk of the disease by 2.5 times.

In 2004, specialists from the American Institute of Health and Nutrition conducted a study on the effect of different types of alcohol on the body with diagnosed gout and the risk of its occurrence. It has been established that the consumption of beer and liqueurs greatly increases the risk of the disease. While the use of wine, on the contrary, reduces the level of uric acid in the body.

Daily consumption of 250 ml of wine is allowed. Beer, port wine, liqueurs and strong alcoholic drinks are not recommended, as they disrupt the functioning of the kidneys and the excretion of uric acid. Chronic, regular use of strong alcohol and beer changes the metabolic processes in the body and in itself becomes the cause of the production of sodium monourate crystals.

Beverages

“Coffee has a moderate diuretic effect,” comments A. Ilyina, specialist of the Institute of Rheumatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. - This effect increases as coffee consumption increases. More than five cups a day cause a significant diuretic effect. And long-term and regular use of the drink reduces the risk of developing the disease.

Coffee and tea, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, also have anti-inflammatory effects, increase cell sensitivity to insulin, and reduce the risk of heart attack. Do not neglect these tonic drinks.

But the use of sweet drinks with fructose should be limited or completely eliminated from the diet. According to studies published by American experts in 2007, the use of such drinks greatly increases the risk of the disease in men.

Vitamins and trace elements

Some trace elements affect the composition of urine, causing an increased content of alkali in it. At the same time, monourates are effectively dissolved in the urine, which ensures their productive excretion. Valuable for the diet for gout are sodium citrate and potassium citrate.

In 2005, the results of a study on the effect of vitamin C on uric acid levels were published. One hundred and eighty-four patients took part in it, some of whom received ascorbic acid at a dosage of 500 mg daily, and the other part received a placebo. According to the results of the study, a significant decrease in the level of uric acid was found in those who received vitamin C for two months.

Therapy of gout is an urgent issue of our time, since every year the disease affects an increasing number of people. The modern approach to its treatment differs from that used in the last century. When correcting lifestyle and normalizing weight, a special diet for gout is recommended. It should contain a limited amount of carbohydrates with sufficient levels of protein foods and unsaturated fats.

Pay attention to the latest research data when compiling your own diet. They eliminate the need for a rigid, unattractive and extremely narrow therapeutic diet, allowing you to include more protein and plant foods in the diet.

A low purine diet is prescribed and - these pathological conditions provoke the formation of stones from uric acid salts. A special nutrition plan eliminates risk factors and allows you to normalize the internal environment of the body.

A low purine diet restricts foods high in purines and oxalic acid. The meal plan significantly reduces salt intake and increases the proportion of alkalizing foods (this category includes milk, some vegetables, etc.). One of the conditions for a low-purine diet is to drink plenty of water (in the absence of pathologies of the heart and blood vessels).

A low purine diet minimizes the intake of proteins and refractory fats. foods containing simple carbohydrates are also added to the list of restrictions.

In order to free the meat from purines to the maximum, it is recommended to boil it in water and only then cook dishes from it. The same rule applies to fish and poultry meat.

There are no special requirements for the temperature of serving dishes and for the method of their preparation.

Low purine diet

The low purine diet is based on the following foods and meals.

• You can: first courses - vegetarian, cereal and potato soups, borscht, cabbage soup, fruit and milk soups
• Exceptions are: meat, mushroom, fish broths, as well as decoctions of sorrel, spinach and legumes

• You can: flour dishes - wheat and rye bread, baked goods with the addition of ground bran
• Subject to restriction: sweet pastries

• You can: meat, fish, poultry of low-fat varieties in boiled form, three times a week (150 g of meat or 170 g of fish)
• Exceptions are: kidneys, brains, liver, tongue, sausages, meat of young birds and animals, smoked meats, canned meat and fish, salted fish, caviar

• You can: dairy products - cottage cheese and dishes based on it, milk, sour-milk drinks, sour cream, hard cheese
• Exceptions are: salty and spicy cheeses

• You can: eggs - 1 pc. in a day
• Exceptions: fried egg-based dishes

• You can: cereals and any dishes based on them, but in limited quantities
• The exception is subject to: millet

• You can: vegetables: fresh or after cooking
• Exceptions are: legumes and fresh legume pods, mushrooms, spinach, rhubarb, sorrel, purslane, cauliflower

• You can: vinaigrettes, vegetable caviar, salads from pickled and fresh vegetables, as well as fruit salads
• Exceptions are: smoked meats, salty snacks, canned food, fish caviar

• You can: fruits and berries of different varieties and in any form, as well as dried fruits
• Exceptions: figs, raspberries, cranberries

• You can: milk creams and jelly, marshmallow, marmalade, caramel, honey, jam, meringues
• Exception: chocolate

• You can: vegetable, dairy, sour cream, tomato sauces
• Exceptions are: sauces on fish, meat, mushroom broth

• You can: cinnamon, bay leaf, vanillin
• Exceptions are: mustard, pepper, horseradish

• You can: tea with lemon and milk, weak coffee with milk, juices of fruits, vegetables and berries, fruit drinks, kvass, as well as decoctions of wheat bran, rose hips and dried fruits
• Exceptions are: strongly brewed drinks (tea, cocoa, coffee)

• You can: butter and vegetable oils
• Exceptions: refractory fats

• You can: greens - dill, parsley, etc.

A low purine diet is a therapeutic nutrition plan that protects the body from the intake of nitrogen-containing compounds - purines. The attending physician should prescribe a diet - only he is able to correctly assess the patient's condition.