Gout Surge Blamed On Sweet Drinks

[LaoPo]

Gout surge blamed on sweet drinks

Sugary drinks have been blamed for a surge in cases of the painful joint disease gout.

Men who consume two or more sugary soft drinks a day have an 85% higher risk of gout compared with those who drink less than one a month, a study suggests.

Cases in the US have doubled in recent decades and it seems fructose, a type of sugar, may be to blame, the British Medical Journal study reports.

UK experts said those with gout would be advised to cut out sugary drinks.

About 1.5% of the UK population currently suffers from gout and there has been an increase in numbers over the last 30 years - although the condition is more associated with Victorian times.

"I will certainly change my advice to patients and I suspect the number drinking fructose is quite large" Dr Andrew Bamji

The symptoms of painful, swollen joints, mainly in the lower limbs, are caused when uric acid crystallises out of the blood into the joints.

US and Canadian researchers said the increase in cases had coincided with a substantial rise in the consumption of soft drinks.

Previous research had also shown that fructose increases levels of uric acid in the bloodstream.

Diet

To look in more detail, the team carried out a 12-year study of 46,000 men aged 40 years and over with no history of gout, asking them regular questionnaires about their diet.

Over the period, 755 newly diagnosed cases of gout were reported.

The risk of developing the condition was significantly increased with an intake level of five to six servings of sugary soft drink per week.

These link was independent of other risk factors for gout such as body mass index, age, high blood pressure and alcohol intake.

Diet soft drinks did not increase the risk of gout but fruit juice and fructose rich fruits (apples and oranges) were associated with a higher risk, the researchers said.

But this finding needs to be balanced against the benefit of fruit and vegetables in preventing other chronic disorders like heart disease and stroke.

Dr Hyon Choi, from the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver said dietary advice for gout had focused on restricting purine-rich foods, such as red meat and beer.

He said practitioners should advise patients with gout to reduce their fructose intake.

"I can think of some situations, for example in severe treatment failure gout, where reducing sweet fruits, such as oranges and apples could help," he added.

Dr Andrew Bamji, president of the British Society for Rheumatology, said anecdotally cases of gout appeared to be on rising.

"When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense in that fructose inhibits the excretion of uric acid.

"I will certainly change my advice to patients and I suspect the number drinking fructose is quite large."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7219473.stm?lsm

Note:

I had a gout-attack before and lately noticed that if I drink too 'sweet' the gout is lurking around the corner again. The 'sweet' drinking came since I stopped smoking a few months ago. I better stop immediately, drinking too sweet...

LaoPo

[lopburi3]

US and Canadian researchers said the increase in cases had coincided with a substantial rise in the consumption of soft drinks.

Except soft drinking has been common for almost a century and recent sales are more often of non sugar types than in the past. Was that taken into consideration I wonder? Or did they just use "total" soft drink sales data.

[Tammi]

Sugary drinks have a lot to answer for: gout, obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, and all the illnesses linked to obesity and all the complications of diabetes. Of course we do have free will so have the choice to drink or not to drink. Parents have the choice to allow kids to drink or not to drink. Governments have the choice to educate the people or not to educate them.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Tammi

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

would pomegranate juice fall into this category or is the natural sugar OK? Just started drinking it daily for the prostrate and it works great. Now all I have to do is find out it aggrevates my gout. They tell me the gout was caused partly by taking blood pressure medication for many years, primarily the diuretics.

[PhilHarries]

Let's face facts, the medical "profession" hasn't a cooking flue what they are talking about half the time.

One minute it's eat this, drink that they are good for you and as for those they're certified killers.

Next it's don't eat this or drink that because studies have shown they are bad for you but those are chock full of goodness.

Breathing air is fatal. 100% of those people who breathe air throughout their lives will die.

Personally I don't listen to a word they say. I eat what I like and drink what I like knowing full well that they may or may not be bad for me.

[sbk]

My father-in-law has gout and does not consume sugary drinks. Nor does he eat sugary snacks. He is not overweight, he does not drink alcohol nor does he smoke. The main thing about my FIL that I have noticed, however, is that he does not drink enough water (or any liquid for that matter). He sweats alot, works very hard and yet consumes little water. He also has a history of kidney stones and has just recently had a stone removed from his salivary gland.

My understanding is that gout is uric acid crystals in the blood, kidney stones are uric acid crystals in the kidneys. If I have this wrong, please feel free to correct me. But I have always wondered if he could help his stone/gout problems by massively increasing his daily fluid intake.

[lopburi3]

I suspect a higher level of fluids would help his kidney stone problems. It seems to help me - especially an extra glass or two of water before bed. But this is a washing/flushing effect rather than reducing natural level in my understanding so probably would not be that effective for blood uric acid buildup in joints - but have no detailed knowledge so there could be a correlation that levels in urine could reduce blood levels for all I know.

[Wrong Turn]

My father-in-law has gout and does not consume sugary drinks. Nor does he eat sugary snacks. He is not overweight, he does not drink alcohol nor does he smoke. The main thing about my FIL that I have noticed, however, is that he does not drink enough water (or any liquid for that matter). He sweats alot, works very hard and yet consumes little water. He also has a history of kidney stones and has just recently had a stone removed from his salivary gland.

My understanding is that gout is uric acid crystals in the blood, kidney stones are uric acid crystals in the kidneys. If I have this wrong, please feel free to correct me. But I have always wondered if he could help his stone/gout problems by massively increasing his daily fluid intake.

As a long-term gout sufferer, and part-time gout research dabbler,

I suspect his lack of water may be part of it. Higher Uric Acid levels, which cause gout, are related to the kidneys.

Some people also produce more Uric Acid in their bodies, because of genetics or body chemistry.

One of the ways I think I reduced my attacks and severity of them is to drink 3.5 liters of water per day. Sipping throughout the day.

This dilutes the Uric Acid.

When I feel an attack coming on, I take an anti-inflammatory, and start drinking more water. 5 liters per day.

So far, it's worked.

[geriatrickid]

I think everyone's right. If I recall my biochem, when fructose is metabolized it increases the uric acid levels. And we all know the link between uric acid and gout. It's not just the soft drinks. Take a look at a lot of the processed foods we eat like sauces and salad dressings - they make it with fructose. Until I looked at my "light" salad dressing, I had no idea it was made with fructose. It was reduced in fat but not sugar. When my doc read me the riot act on my triglyceride level last year, he told me to lay off the products with lots of fructose too. I had no idea until then that there is apparently a link between consumption of high fructose products and triglyceride levels. (That's a polite term for me being a porky.)

To answer the soft drink comment, keep in mind that in the "old" days they made soda pop with cane sugar. Then they switched to the cheaper high fructose corn syrups. I don't think there's a problem with the small amounts of fructose one gets from fruit, but rather it's when we take it in such a concentrated form as in alot of pop.

[Prakanong]

My father-in-law has gout and does not consume sugary drinks. Nor does he eat sugary snacks. He is not overweight, he does not drink alcohol nor does he smoke. The main thing about my FIL that I have noticed, however, is that he does not drink enough water (or any liquid for that matter). He sweats alot, works very hard and yet consumes little water. He also has a history of kidney stones and has just recently had a stone removed from his salivary gland.

My understanding is that gout is uric acid crystals in the blood, kidney stones are uric acid crystals in the kidneys. If I have this wrong, please feel free to correct me. But I have always wondered if he could help his stone/gout problems by massively increasing his daily fluid intake.

Most certainly he should be taking more fluids.

Gout is often hereditary so he does not have to be overweight, eating sugar, red meat or anything else to suffer from it.

Of course those things can also cause it and my gout is probably related to that but have only had two acute attacks in 7 years fingers crossed.

Anyway we get advised by our Dr's at work to take a lot more water in the tropics and one of the reasons is avoidence of kidney stones.

There are 4 types BTW of which the uric acid type is 0ne of them - I had one once and its more painful than the gout so if your FiL has had them more than once I feel for him.

• The most common type of stone contains calcium. Calcium is a normal part of a healthy diet.
  Calcium that is not used by the bones and muscles goes to the kidneys. In most people, the kidneys flush out the extra calcium with the rest of the urine. People who have calcium stones keep the calcium in their kidneys.
  The calcium that stays behind joins with other waste products to form a stone. The most common combination is called calcium oxalate.
  
• A struvite stone may form after an infection in the urinary system. These stones contain the mineral magnesium and the waste product ammonia.
  
• A uric acid stone may form when the urine contains too much acid. .
  
• Cystine stones are rare. Cystine is one of the building blocks that make up muscles, nerves, and other parts of the body. Cystine can build up in the urine to form a stone. The disease that causes cystine stones runs in families.
  

[sbk]

Poor man, his kidney stones were so numerous he ended up going to bangkok to have them shattered with the ultrasound machine thing. He was peeing out stones for weeks. My dad had stones once and said it was the most painful thing he has ever had in his life. FIL has not had kidney stones since, but has, as I mentioned, salivary gland stones a couple of times and gout, which is fairly recurrent for him.

[Pink Mist]

Gout is an incurable but treatable disease

A sufferer's body has the ability to metabolise uric acid from almost any food, depending on the severity.

It can be treated in many ways, I take Allopurinol, 300mg per day and havn't suffered an attack for many years, I have used Colchicine in conjunction with allo.

The thing is I can drink beer, eat red meat, sea food and anything as long as I take the pill and drink water all is good

[sbk]

FIL takes those pills too. However, being the stubborn man that he is, he continues to do hard labor in the heat of the day (coconuts). It is usually after a particularly hard few days of work that he has a gout attack.

And no, he doesn't need the money

[Pink Mist]

Dosage is important , I take 300 mg it relates to size and uric acid production, 300 is a large dose and was ascertained by blood tests over several sessions.

[sbk]

I honestly have no idea what dosage he takes, I can check I guess. He hasn't had an attack lately, so perhaps he has either slowed down or gotten his dosage right. My dad swears by cherries (he has gout too but hasn't had a gout attack in years). I can get frozen cherries but then I don't know how good alot of cherries would be for FIL's sugar levels!

[Wrong Turn]

I take Allopurinol, 300mg per day and havn't suffered an attack for many years

May I ask how much per month the Allo costs, bronco?

TIA.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Wrong Turn I take purinol which claims to be same as allapurinol, 300mg pills 100 per bottle 130baht per bottle. Allapurinol was like 4 to 6baht per pill.

[Wrong Turn]

Wrong Turn I take purinol which claims to be same as allapurinol, 300mg pills 100 per bottle 130baht per bottle. Allapurinol was like 4 to 6baht per pill.

BTDT,

Thanks for info (and bronco, too):

I am going to ask my doctor to start Purinol (which is likely cheaper than Allopurinol, but the same).

I've had so many gout attacks, started at age 32.

I think the reason why doctors didn't suggest me taking Purinol/Allopurinol was because I was living in different countries we as well as the U.S. and seeing different doctors.

I am assuming that your Purinol is fairly affordable, like bronco stated in a post above.

Gout is interfering with my work, and other parts of my life. Even when I stop drinking, and follow the diet rules, and drink water, and take Indomathacin, it can linger for days.

After 6 years, I don't think It'll go away for good.

I'll ask to take Purinol, and here it will be affordable. I'm assuming, much, much cheaper than in the USA.

Thanks, DTDT.

[lopburi3]

Actually it is very cheap in the USA in normal unbranded form. It is very expensive in Thailand under the one normal brand name that most pharmacies stock. You may have to try several to find the cheaper versions.

Believe you really should take this under medical supervision, at least at first, with regular blood tests. It does not cost that much to do so. And you should start when free of gout.

[Wrong Turn]

Actually it is very cheap in the USA in normal unbranded form. It is very expensive in Thailand under the one normal brand name that most pharmacies stock. You may have to try several to find the cheaper versions.

Believe you really should take this under medical supervision, at least at first, with regular blood tests. It does not cost that much to do so. And you should start when free of gout.

I agree.

I've heard that a very small percentage of people have Liver Toxicity with Allopurin and cannot take it.

Is this what you mean by taking the blood tests?

Or do you mean, to check if the Uric Acid levels are consistently high?

[lopburi3]

Both - perhaps a lower amount would be enough. Believe most Thai seem to use 100mg but body is normally smaller.

[Wrong Turn]

Both - perhaps a lower amount would be enough. Believe most Thai seem to use 100mg but body is normally smaller.

Thanks again.

And as bronco stated, several blood taking sessions will be needed to determine dosage.

Hopefully I can get all of these blood tests done within a month.

I'm visiting the US in the Summer and would prefer to have this done in their, instead of the SEA country I'm in now.