There are all sorts of diets out there and new ones are being developed as we speak. They are more beneficial, more powerful and they are more appealing for the average person. You already know this.
What you don’t know is that not all diets are safe and appealing, especially if you suffer from gout. The solution is to get proper information before opting for a specific diet. I test diets on myself and on my friends who suffer from gout and I can help you get a complete picture.
One diet that has intrigued my attention was a DASH diet. I had to see how it links to the condition in question and what are its effects. So, are there any links between the gout and dash diet? Let’s find out.
What is the DASH diet?
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension and it is a diet that allows you to eat most foods in a controlled manner. The sodium intake is low to average per month.
The foods this diet recommends are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, low-fat dairy products, and beans. These are generally beneficial foods for gout sufferers, so there is a positive outcome visible already.
Suggested articles:
– Gout And Fruit – All You Have To Know
– Gout And Whole Grain – Things You Must Know
– Fish And Gout (15 Types Of Fish Explained)
– Nuts And Gout (Can You Eat Nuts If You Suffer From Gout?)
– 11 Types Of Beans For Gout Sufferers (All You Need To Know)
The diet itself isn’t complicated to follow. Basically, you need to keep your eyes on the aforementioned foods and eat them instead of processed meat, organ meat or anything similar.
When it comes to hypertension, the diet actually works, although in an opposite way than it was believed. The same matter is linked to gout and I will explain it below.
DASH diet for Gout
The study I must explain was published at the American College of Rheumatology and it followed 103 individuals who already had stage 1 hypertension. They were on a diet that allowed them to follow DASH rules or they should follow any other, controlled American diet. They were given sodium in different levels.
What was discovered is that the level of uric acid was decreased by 1 mg/dl, especially among people who had 7 mg/dl. Keep in mind that a medication you may take for gout such as allopurinol is decreasing the uric acid level also but by 2 mg/dl.
The secret here is sodium. It was believed that sodium increases uric acid, but it was discovered that it does the opposite. Sadly, the salt your body needs is already included in the average diet you already follow.
The bottom line here is that DASH diet is relatively safe for gout and it will affect the uric acid in a positive way and keep it low, but thanks to sodium and not the diet itself.
What’s still unclear is how and why the link between gout and dash diet and sodium exist. It is probably one of the most exciting discoveries and the one that should be taken into account.
I believe that beside sodium, the DASH diet plan was responsible for decreased uric acid levels. After all, it includes all the foods I normally recommend for all gout sufferers.
Does the DASH diet work for gout?
What we have learned about the gout and dash diet? There is a link and the diet is healthy. But, the effects it has on gout is primarily focused on the sodium levels which are still too high than you need.
Other than that, the diet is effective and appealing for all people. It can be used by gout sufferers but isn’t something I will recommend use straightaway. There is a much better alternative.
I recommend that you should be on a diet that consists of 80% of fruits and vegetables, 10% of dairy products and 10% of the lean meats (fish). The fruits and vegetables will provide you complex carbohydrates which will provide the most calories. 10% of dairy products are used as daily calorie addition and 10% of meat is used for protein.
The diet plan I have just explained may look similar to DASH diet and it is, but it is more focused on gout patients. The bottom line here is that gout and dash diet can coexist, but they are not extremely linked.
Suggested articles:
– The ULTIMATE List Of 14 Foods To Avoid With Gout
– Gout And Vegetarian Diet – Is It The Ultimate Diet?
– Gout And Alkaline Foods – Defeat Gout Once For All
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