GoutPal Interactive

This is the first topic that you should read if you have any questions about gout and diet.

Controlling diet through gout is a massive issue for many gout sufferers. Conflicting advice, and misunderstandings, make this situation worse, so I’m running this as a fixed topic to focus on the essentials.

To stop it wandering off topic, I have made it read only, but I would still appreciate any input, so just add a new topic with anything you want to add or change here, and I will keep it updated.

This topic was inspired by a recent post:

trev said:

I’m sure most, but probably not all, sufferers of Gout would like to follow a dietary cure route if they could.

… to look for a 20% overall reduction in UA over time, would be readily attainable- if you are prepared to stick to a tough diet totally for long enough.

So if you seek a dietary cure for gout, please be certain to lay the right foundations.

Do not trawl the web for various gout diet advice, then see if it applies to you. Examine yourself first.

Start with a note of your height and weight. List your typical diet. Ask parents and grandparents about family history of gout. List any medication or dietary supplement that you take.

If you are on any medication or dietary supplement, discuss it in the Gout Related or Your Gout forum to see if it has any impact on gout

If you had forefathers with gout, who were not fat, then there is a strong likelihood that you are genetically set for gout. Stop worrying about diet, and go get your kidneys and uric acid levels checked. I am not saying that diet will not help – just focus on understanding your own situation regarding uric acid before you come back here to consider diet.

If your height and weight combination gives you a BMI higher than 20, then your first consideration is to lose weight. Talk about your typical diet in this forum, and seek advice for losing weight slowly. It is usually possible to make gradual changes and improve eating habits to the point where you hardly notice the diet changes. But, be warned that you must be able to take a methodical approach and apply a little willpower. If you can’t, then go to the gout cures forum now, and discuss your options for lowering uric acid.

If neither of these applies, then either you have unknown kidney or metabolism problems, or you have a very unusual diet. Consider discussing your diet in this forum to see if known problems like only one big meal a day, high iron content, very high iron content, no dairy, very high purines, very low fluid intake. Also consider medical tests for kidney function and uric acid production to identify or discount non-diet factors.