Gout is a type of arthritis which is occurred due to the defective metabolism of purine. The result is level of uric acid is increased in the blood that causes the deposition of sodium salt of uric acid in the joint of bones especially in the heel, the middle part of toes, knee, wrist etc. Gout is historically known as ‘the disease of king’ or ‘rich man’s disease’. It is mainly seen in middle age and old age woman and man. Gout attacks women mainly usually after their menopause.
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| Gout affected bone |
Symptoms:
The following symptoms are most commonly seen in gout-
- Joint redness
- Swollen of joints
- Pain in the joints
- Some affected areas become bow shaped by severe pain.
Causes:
Hereditary is the main cause for gout though the exact reason of gout could not be understand. Most of the persons think that the cause of gout is food allergy.
We know that Nucleoprotein is situated in the nucleus of plant or animal cells. This nucleoprotein breaks down and converts into purine. Then purine is oxidized into the liver and thus builds up uric acid. When too much uric acid is seen in the blood (the normal level of uric acid in the blood is 3.4 – 7.2 mg/dl for men and 2.4 – 6.1 mg/dl for women) and uric acid crystallizes and these crystals deposit in the joints and surrounding tissue that cause gout.
Nucleoprotein is mostly found in liver, pancreas and kidney. Besides these, it is found in germs of grains and pulses.
Non – vegetarian people is more affected by this disease than vegetarian people. Therefore diet is a main factor for gout. The people who eat protein rich foods they are more affected by gout.
Prevention of gout:
We can prevent the acute gout by maintaining some healthy tips.
- You should intake adequate amount of fluid.
- Maintaining body weight with height.
- You should maintain a healthy low protein diet.
- Reduce the intake of alcoholic beverages.
- With above tips you should taken medicines. Before taking any medicine, consult with your doctor.
Treat the gout with dietary management:
When you formulate a diet chart of gout patient, keep in mind that low purine content food should be given and advise the patient to drink adequate amount of water.
Calories-
Protein should be given 50 – 60 gm/ kg body weight. You should limit your protein intake. Excess consumption of protein may lead excessive synthesis of purine in the body. Add good quality protein in your daily diet. Protein should be come from low fat dairy products.
Fat-
Fat should be restricted in diet. Excess fat intake tends to decrease the excretion of uric acid. So, low fat and fat free dairy products should be taken.
Carbohydrate-
Main calories come should come from carbohydrates. So, you should eat more fruits, vegetables which provide complex carbohydrate that helps in preventing gout. Fructose is the only carbohydrate which should be avoided because studies have proved that high fructose corn syrup such as soft drinks or juice drinks increase the uric acid.
Fluids-
- Water:
Water can help you to prevent gout by increasing the volume of urine excretion. 3 liters of water/day should be consumed. Before drinking water, consult with your doctor. If you have other problems such as edema, you should not intake lots of water.
- Tea or coffee-
You can intake 2 – 3 cups of tea or coffee per day because these beverages contain methyl purines. They are not converted into uric acid in the body.
- Fruit juice-
During an attack of gout excess consumption of fruit juices can help in excretion of uric acid.
- Alcohol-
Alcoholic beverages are strictly restricted to avoid gout.
Exercise:
Obesity increases the risk of developing gout. So, patient needs to maintain a proper body weight with height. You should keep in mind that body weight should be reduced gradually. It helps to excrete uric acid. Daily exercise and intake of less amount of calorie helps in reducing your body weight.
Some purine content foods:
- High purine content foods that may increase the level of uric acid in the blood-
Beans, peas, lentil, spinach, cauliflower, mushroom, egg of fish, head of fish, sea fishes, mutton, lamb, pork, liver, kidney, pancreas, meat stalk, alcohol, chocolate, cocoa , asparagus etc.
- Low purine content foods-
Rice, wheat, maize, arrowroot, sago, vegetables, egg, low fat or fat free dairy products (skimmed milk or double toned milk), cabbage, beet, carrot, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, potato, sweet potato, butter, fruits, nut, sugar, cream etc.
It is better to avoid large amount of fried foods, cream, ice cream, spicy foods for patients. If you are suffering from severe gout egg, cheese, whole milk, butter should be cut off from your daily diet chart.
A SAMPLE MENU FOR GOUT PATIENTS
MEAL
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FOOD STUFF |
AMOUNT |
Early Morning
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1 cup
2 pieces
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Breakfast
|
|
1 bowl (milk 200 milk ml)
|
Mid Morning
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|
1 piece (100 gm)
|
Lunch
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1 bowl (75 gm)
1 bowl
1 bowl
1 piece
1 bowl ( fish 1 piece)
1 cup (60 gm)
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Evening Snacks
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1 bowl
|
Dinner
|
|
1 bow (80 gm)
1 bowl (milk 150 ml)
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