Uric Acid
Uric acid is the final product of purine oxidation (adenine and guanine). It is calculated that the body has a uric acid reservoir amounting to 1.2 gr. Nevertheless, there are two sources for this reservoir:
A) The exogenous source (mainly our nutritional habits)
B) Endogenous source (derived from decomposition of purines)
The amount of uric acid destroyed in the body is very small and uric acid exits the body mainly through urine.
The nutritional habits can affect the level of uric acid in the blood or urine in several ways:
- Obesity (obese people usually suffer from gout)
- Alcohol (increased alcohol intake causes an increase of lactic acid in the blood, which inhibits the renal filtration of uric acid.
- Fasting
- Increased consumption of purines
- Fructose (mainly intravenous rather than oral intake.)
- Fats (a diet rich in fats, about 200gm/day, increases uric acid since it respectively reduces its expelling through urine.
How to fight against the excess of uric acid
Treatment of gout is achieved through:
A) Medication.
B) Special diet.
What we can do to change our nutritional habits:
- Reduce fats
- Avoid foods high in purines
- Increase consumption of carbohydrates since it helps in the excretion of the uric acid
- Take proteins mainly from dairy products (cheese, milk, eggs)
- Avoid alcohol
- Increase the intake of water and natural juices, about 3 litres/day
- Lose weight if necessary
Below you may find an indicative list of foods according to their content in purines.
Food RICH in purines:
- intestines, brains, kidney, heart, liver.
- Roe
- Almonds
- Bakery products containing yeasts
- sardines, mackerel, herring
- gravy, meat broth
Foods MODERATE in purines:
- peas, mushrooms, spinach, tomato, asparagus
- Lentils, beans
- Chicken, meat, fish
Foods POOR in purines:
- Milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs
- Fruits
- Olives
- Herbs and green salads
- Rice, pasta
- Bread, Corn
- Soft drinks, coffee, tea
- Chocolate
thanks article thanks thanks article