THE NEW YORK TIMES – Globally, gout rates have climbed more than 20 percent since 1990, rising alongside rates of other chronic conditions like obesity, which can worsen the disease.
In the United States, the condition affects more than 12 million people and is up to four times as common in men as in women, whose higher estrogen levels are thought to have a protective effect.
Despite the prevalence of gout, once called the “disease of kings,” it still carries widespread stigmas that it’s only a problem for gluttons or heavy drinkers.
Even doctors often emphasize dietary half-measures over proven, long-term treatments: Only about one-third of gout patients receive medication for gout, and among those who do, many are kept on doses too low to be effective.
Because attacks are often triggered by heavy meat or alcohol consumption, the holidays can be a dangerous time for people who leave the condition untreated. We asked experts about gout, how to treat it and what foods, if any, are best for it.
What is gout?
Gout is an ancient disease — there’s evidence for it in one T. Rex specimen — but humans have a number of mutations that make us more predisposed to it than your average primate.
The condition is caused by a high level of urate, commonly referred to as uric acid, in the blood. Most of that urate is formed during the breakdown of purine, a chemical found naturally in the body. Some purine also comes from the plants and animals we eat. Red meat and shrimp are relatively high in purines, but it’s also found in high levels in some vegetables like spinach and asparagus.
Normally, the kidneys filter out urate without issue. But in people who develop gout there is too much for the body to handle …
