About Weight Loss Surgery

What is Gout?

Gout is a type of chronic inflammatory arthritis which causes attacks of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling in some joints. It was once believed that gout was the result of gluttony but it is now known to affect any type of person and is often inherited.

What is Gout Caused by?
Gout is caused when there is too much production of uric acid in the body. There are several causes for gout, including:

too much alcohol consumption
surgery
stress
crash dieting
chemotherapy
too much foods rich in purines (see below)
joint injury
high blood pressure
excessive exercise

Symptoms:
Like everything else, there are warning signs that may indicate the possibility of having gout. Swelling in the joints may be one sign, as well as red and shiny skin around the infected joint(s). Another sign you may find is lumps under the skin. The lumps are formed because the uric acid crystals build up. Don’t panic if you have one of the symptoms, it is always best to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Gout Diet
The proper treatment for gout is:

medications
a proper diet known as a gout diet
exercise

Why is a gout diet important?
Think about this: gout is similar to arthritis, so if you are overweight, you are only adding to the pressure on your joints. Your diet should consist of foods low in purines which will reduce the amount of uric acid in your system. A purine is a substance found in food which produces large amounts of uric acid when broken down.

Foods low in Purines:

fruits and vegetables
grains
seeds and nuts
white bread
white rice
cereals and cereal products
all cheeses

Foods high in Purines:

red meat and poultry
yeast
mushrooms
asparagus
alcohol
offal foods like: liver, kidney, heart, tripe, etc
several kinds of fish
peas, legumes, lentils, spinach, and beans