Gout and the high protein diet

Gout, that exquisitely painful accumulation of uric acid in the blood to the point where the acid turns to crystals that act like broken glass in joints, used to be considered a disease of rich old men who ate and drank too much. Today, however, gout has increased in incidence among just folk, and especially men on diets rich in meat and low in dairy products. The diet-uric acid-gout connections is simple: uric acid is formed from the breakdown of the purines found in high protein foods such as red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, including sardines, shellfish and vegetables such asparagus. Sound familiar? High-protein diets are a bodybuilder’s mainstay; cutting back on diary products is practically routine. How to avoid the gout? Some experts recommend a high intake of vegetable protein and some say dairy protein can cut the risk of gout nearly in half.

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