Is it true that eating spinach can increase gout?

Medical Video: Purine rich foods, such as asparagus and meat, linked to gout flareups

Gout is a type of arthritis. This can cause a sudden onset of pain and heat, stiffness, and also swelling in the joints, usually the big toe. Over time, this condition can endanger other joints, tendons, and tissues.

Gout usually occurs in men. This attack can occur repeatedly unless treated properly. The most important way to prevent recurrence of attacks of gout is to stay away from foods that are challenged. According to many people, spinach is one of these foods. However, is that true? Spinach which is an important source of nutrition for health, can it cause disease? Let's see the explanation below!

What is gout?

Uric acid is a waste product in the metabolism of purines and other chemicals in the body. Purines are found in DNA and are converted into the main source of energy in cells. Purines are not needed in food and can be completely synthesized from other nutrients, including proteins. Excess purines in the body can be converted into gout and released.

Causes of gout

High uric acid levels are a cause of gout. Often, having high levels of uric acid is not dangerous. Many people with high levels of uric acid in the blood do not experience gout. However, when uric acid levels are too high, uric acid in the blood will form hard crystals in your joints. Your chance of getting gout is higher if you are overweight, drink alcohol, or consume too much high-chemical meat and fish (purines). Some drugs, such as water pills (diuretics), can also cause attacks of gout.

Signs of gout attack

The most common sign of gout is a nighttime attack, such as swelling, pain, redness, and pain in your big toe. You can also get gout attacks on your feet, ankles, knees or other joints. The attack can last several days or weeks before the pain disappears. Other attacks may not occur for several months, but in the next few years.

Then, is it true that spinach can aggravate gout?

The main benefit of spinach for health is high iron content, which can help prevent iron deficiency, especially for vegetarians. Spinach is high in some minerals and vitamins, especially sources of vitamins A and K.

Some foods contain high levels of purine. Animal meat, especially offal contains very high purines. Fatty fish such as anchovy, herring, and mackerel, and seafood also contain high levels of purine. Vegetables that have high purines include peas, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, and yeast. Eating lots of spinach doesn't have to cause gout. Spinach which has high purine substances can break down into uric acid, which theoretically can increase the risk of gout. But, according to one study, consumption of lots of vegetables that are high in purines, such as spinach, has nothing to do with gout attacks.

Dietary recommendations for gout sufferers

You can limit consumption of meat and seafood to around 4-6 ounces per day. Alcohol, foods high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats should also be avoided. High purine foods do have to be limited, although a 2004 "The New England Journal of Medicine" study found that vegetables rich in purines did not significantly contribute to gout, and dairy products could reduce the frequency of gout attacks.