Can Gout Be Improved Through Diet?
January 21, 2008 Dear Mayo Clinic: My mother has had five or six attacks of what certainly seems to be gout in her toes. Her doctor stopped her diuretic and did a blood test. But since the change in meds she had another episode. She also takes warfarin for a heart valve that was replaced. She is not anxious to take more medicine (and none have been offered). Any suggestions for diet? Answer: Gout is a form of arthritis that involves sudden, severe attacks of pain, redness and tenderness in joints. It occurs when high levels of uric acid in the blood (hyperuricemia) cause the acid to build up and be deposited in joints, often in the toes. Uric acid is a waste product formed by the break down of purines, a substance found naturally in the body and in certain foods. Eating a diet low in purines may help lower uric acid levels, reducing the frequency and severity of gout attacks. Foods that have high levels of purines include: anchovies, game meats (such as venison and duck), gravies, herr
