United Nations of Beer

Foods to avoid gout

by G. Out
(Flat on my effing back!)

Foods to avoid gout

Recently I got terrible pain in my foot. I went to see my doctor and he told me I had GOUT!! I thought this was an old man's problem from stories of Victorian England. What is Gout and how does drinking beer help to cause it? And once I have Gout, is it possible to keep drinking beer without making it come back?

The Beer Doctor says:

Hello, Mr. Out! I will try to break up your questions and answer them in segments, I hope it will help you to understand about gout and its relation to beer.

"What is Gout?"

Gout is a condition which arises due to excess amount of uric acid in the blood stream resulting in formation of crystals on joints, surrounding tissues and tendons.

The crystals are made of monosodium urate, or of uric acid, and the deposition of these crystals on the joints gives rise to episodes of painful attacks. Continues below

If proper treatment is not initiated then this leads to a condition which is known as Chronic gouty arthritis, resulting in degeneration of the articular cartilages and tendons. In some patients, due to excess deposition of these crystals, there may be the formation of tropi on elbow joints, or the knee joints.

Gout was regarded as The Disease of Kings or the rich man’s disease, as it was most common amongst the affluent individuals, whose usually consumed foods which was rich in uric acid like lobster, crab and regularly consumed wines and champagne. This, associated with their sedentary lifestyle, made them highly susceptible to develop gout. The older people are at a higher risk of developing gouty arthritis.

I hope this answers your question about what is gout and why it is commonly associated with Victorian England.

Moving on to the other part of your question, "How does drinking beer help to cause it? And once I have Gout, is it possible to keep drinking beer without making it come back?"

There are specific foods to avoid. Gout is caused by anything that increases uric acid in the body; this includes increased consumption of things containing a higher level of uric acid or purines (these are chemical compounds which yield uric acid when they are broken up in the body), or decreased excretion of uric acid from the body like in renal failure.

Individuals consuming beer, wine or any other spirit in excess or regularly is at a higher risk of developing gout. This is due to multiple effects of alcohol on the human body.

Initially alcohol impedes the excretion of uric acid from the body, thus increasing the level of uric acid in the body; the second effect is alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning it encourages the body to excrete more water out of the body, resulting in dehydrating the body quickly. This causes accumulation of uric acid and formation of crystals in the joints and surrounding tissue.

Coming to the interesting part with the latest evidence from the study of Dr. Hyon Choi, MD, DrPH, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA, it is safe to say that people who consume two or more beers a day are more likely to be affected by gout than other people consuming other forms of alcohol.

This was due to the higher amounts of purines present in the beer that leads to increased risk of gouty arthritis. So it seems that beer is one of the foods to avoid if gout is an issue for you.

Having said all this, it is very clear that you cannot consume beer if you have already been diagnosed with gout. If you continue drinking beer, you will suffer from many painful episodes due to gout and gradually resulting in arthritis. So my advice is give up beer, there is no other way.

Any more doubts, I will be happy to answer them.