Too Many Carbohydrates Cause Gout

What is Gout?

Gout is a common form of arthritis that has been recognized for centuries.  Patients often will complain of experiencing recurrent episodes of pain and inflammation in a joint, particularly the large toe and usually lasts for 1-2 weeks.  It is often associated with obesity and excessive alcohol consumption.

The incidence of gout seems to be increasing along with the incidence of obesity and diabetes in the U.S. Although men are affected more often than women, many women suffer from gout as well.

Pain and Inflammation

The pain of gout is due to an inflammatory reaction triggered by a buildup of uric acid in the joint.  Uric acid (otherwise known as urate) is a normal waste product of protein metabolism.  When concentrations of uric acid build up in the blood stream, they seep into the fluid of our joints and can trigger a painful inflammatory reaction.  Why the reaction often occurs first in the joint of the large toe is generally unknown.  It can also occur in the ankle initially and less commonly the knee.

The conventional approach to the treatment of gout is to provide medications that either reduce inflammation during an acute episode of pain or  lower the level of uric acid in the blood.  Both approaches help reduce the pain and frequency of attacks but neither addresses the underlying cause of gout.

Too Many Carbohydrates Cause Gout

For centuries, gout has been associated with obesity and overindulgence in alcohol.  As I have discussed before, obesity is linked to development of insulin resistance which also causes elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, chronic kidney disease and heart attacks and elevated uric acid levels.  The greater the degree of obesity, the more likely a person seems to be predisposed to develop gout.

Elevated insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia) are one of the hallmark signs of insulin resistance and have been shown to reduce the kidney’s ability to excrete uric acid as well as sodium (table salt) in humans.  The reduction of uric acid excretion by the kidney leads to an increase of uric acid in blood stream.

Interestingly, uric acid levels seem to elevate before the onset of medical complications associated with insulin resistance (elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, chronic kidney disease and heart attacks).  This is a tantilizing clue that at a basic level, uric acid may somehow fuel the complications of insulin resistance.

But as I discussed before in this blog, the increasing weight that leads to insulin resistance (and gout) is probably a surrogate marker for the true driving force of this disorder, carbohydrates.  Weight often reflects the amount of carbohydrates consumed by an individual. The more an individual weighs, the more carbohydrates they tend to consume and visa versa.

Fructose and Gout

Fructose, an increasing common form of carbohydrate in our food supply has been shown to directly elevate uric acid in humans.  Likewise, increasing or decreasing dietary fructose in a rat’s diet leads to a subsequent increase and decrease in the blood pressure, triglycerides and insulin levels respectively.

Because of this and other accumulating evidence, many scientists believe that gout is the direct consequence of excessive carbohydrate intake (fructose or otherwise) in our diet.

Reduction Gout Attacks By Reducing Carbohydrate Intake

If increased carbohydrate intake leads to more insulin resistance and insulin resistance seems to cause elevated uric acid levels and gout in patients, then does a reduction in carbohydrates seem to improve the outcome of gout?  A recent study seems to suggest yes and remarkably so.

A recently performed study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a low-carbohydrate on the level of serum uric acid and the frequency of gout attacks.  The study included 13 non-diabetic men who had experienced an average of 2 gouty attacks per individual over the 16 weeks preceding the diet study.

The subjects reduced their carbohydrate intake to approximately 160 grams per day.  The average American male consumes between 300-350 grams of carbohydrates per day.

After 16 weeks, none of the patients had a single flair of their gout!  Remember, each study subject had about 2 episodes of gout attacks  in the 16 weeks before the study.  Additionally,  the subjects lost an average of 17 lbs as well ashad improvements of their triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

The reduction in uric acid with this mild level of carbohydrate restriction was almost 2 mg/dl.  This is better that reduction seen with severe protein (low purine) diets and as good as standard medication therapy without the risks of side effects and expense of copays.

What Should My Goal Be For Carbohydrate Reduction?

Although the study mentioned above had subjects only reduce their carbohydrate intake to 160 grams per day, I recommend reducing the carbohydrates even further to help prevent or reverse the development of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Studies have shown that reducing your daily intake of carbohydrates (sugars and starches) to 100-125 grams/day will lead to a consistent and steady reduction in blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and uric acid levels in the vast majority of individuals.

Try to eliminate most of your carbohydrate from the least psychologically important meals of the day.  For many of us, it’s breakfast and lunch.  Don’t waste your carbohydrate “allowance” on fast food, sodas or a donut at breakfast.

Focus instead on eating more proteins and fats at these times and saving your carbohydrate allowance when you eat with family or friends.  There is no metabolic importance to eating carbohydrates at dinner, it’s only a psychological trick that I have found has helped me as well as many of my patients.

By saving your carbohydrate allowance for this meal, the reduction in carbohydrates won’t seem so intrusive and difficult.  You’ll still be able to enjoy some of your carbohydrate comfort foods and not feel as if cutting back on carbs is such a sacrifice. 

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Patrick Nemechek, D.O.

Patrick Nemechek, D.O.

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syed
syed
May 2, 2019 6:52 am

DR. I am suffering from Uric Acid , pain in toe , hand finger joins .. i follow LFCH ( KETO since 8 months i reduced weight from 75 kilogram to 65 kg .. but even the uric acid not reduce… if i eat carb 100 Gram , and continue with LCHF it will be useful for GOUT . and 100 gram Carb what i eat … whole grain Race , Wheat … or what kind of food kindly inform …. if i eat almond and walnut . it will increase uric acid ..

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5 ways for developers to get their health on track – Tarball Barbell
April 7, 2019 9:59 pm

[…] sugar in the blood which encourages fat storage, and cause inflammation.Bonus: carbs also cause gout, acne (I can relate) and Acid […]

Renaud
Renaud
November 22, 2018 5:53 pm

Well this is a very good and helpful article here !! Thank You.
By the way there is some evidences showing eating carb at dinner is metabolically better, check for John Kiefer and his Carb Nite solution.

Jeff Tan
Jeff Tan
July 15, 2018 3:40 am

Thank u for your advise. This article is very helpful.

zbzscusyfl@gmail.com
zbzscusyfl@gmail.com
March 23, 2017 2:29 am

Wow! Thank you! I permanently needed to write on my blog something like that. Can I include a portion of your post to my blog?

RJG
RJG
July 25, 2016 2:16 pm

After hours of searching, I’ve finally found an article on gout that makes sense. My own case: 6’2″ 180 pounds. Triglycerides, blood sugar, cholesterol all these things are wnl. The cause of my high serum uric acid is renal insufficiency and the resultant chronic anemia (anemia as a factor was news to me). I had my first gout attack a few months back and am still recovering from it. I tried Uloric but it raised my blood pressure to unacceptable level and produced a rash. My serum uric acid level at the time of the gout was 8.8. After 10… Read more »

Nathan
Nathan
March 11, 2016 2:50 pm

I have chronic Gout and while I knew about Fructose I started to suspect all carbohydrates simply by trial and error so I started googling and found this article. While it is promising can you site those study? I’ve found most studies done in China and Taiwan to be a farce.

VS
VS
February 3, 2016 3:42 pm

I am a 70 year old 5′ 10″ 200 pound male who for 30 plus years have had gout attacks I have dealt with them by taking allopurinol, cholchine, protein reduction, alcohol reduction and predisone both oral and injections. Lately I am unable to control the gout attacks and have been told that I have diminished kidney function which probably is due to life long high uric acid and lately insulin resistance. My blood fats have been low my entire life and BP has been under control as well. I am stunned that carbs have been causing this, for years… Read more »

michael fainsan
michael fainsan
December 31, 2012 6:14 am

thank u so much for this important knowledge..i have gout and i want to limit my carbs.im 33 and have gout for 5 years more..again thanks doc

Anonymous
Anonymous
August 2, 2011 3:01 pm

After a month of taking 600mg Allopurinol daily I am still having to take prednisone to suppress inflammation (which I would very much like to discontinue). I am feeling generally more energetic and with improved mental clarity. I attribute this to the reduced carbohydrate intake. Just wondering how long to continue with the 600mg/day dosage and if it should be taken in a single dose or divided (or if it matters) for best results. I am aware that it may take several months to rid myself of uric acid deposits and am not giving up…JDP

JDP
JDP
June 28, 2011 4:14 am

Thank you Dr. N for the encouragement and suggestions. I have already done 1,2, and 3 above and will try Allopurinol again at the 600mg daily dose. My prior dose was only 100mg daily. I don’t think my fructose consumption was particularly high but carbs were, as I was trying to avoid eating alot of protein at the time as per standard dietary recommendations. Thanks again and I will let you know what happens.

JDP

JDP
JDP
June 26, 2011 11:26 pm

I have read your info with great interest and have found others to concur with your approach. I have tried the medical approach, allopurinol and NSAIDS (I am a pharmacist) to no avail. Traditional dietary recommendations have not helped either. My gout has progressed over the past 25 years from occasionally disabling episodes in my ankles and feet to now constant flares all over…knees, one hip, shoulders, one thumb, elbows, neck, etc. The only relief I get is from taking prednisone, usually 10-20mg per day but often have to ramp it up to 40mg to be able to continue to… Read more »

JBB
JBB
June 13, 2011 7:45 pm

I have a question not a comment. Are uric acic kidney stones the same as gout and will a low carb diet be help him?

Andrew Nowlan
Andrew Nowlan
June 8, 2011 11:49 am

I am 33 years old and in the past few years I have had a handfull of gout attacks. I have been reading on the internet “Don’t eay meat”. I am 6’5 325lbs, so yes I am overweight. I have recently started playing football again trying to lose some weight, but my gout came on with a vengance, so I had to stop playing. I find that everything seems to contradict itself on the internet. I am going to try your method to start, and I will keep you updated on my progress. I have unfortunatly have had gout in… Read more »

Click
Click
March 28, 2011 12:45 pm

Had roast beef the night before last with brocolli & mashed cauliflower. I put a good slathering of Worcestershire on it. It said only one gram of carbs per teaspoon. Well I woke up on the couch about 11pm with a low level ache in my knee. I’m thinking “Oh crap, here we go again!” Got up, pounded a glass of water and took an Ibeprofin and went to bed. When I woke up I was fine again. I have since looked closer to the label of the Worcestershire. Number two ingredient is corn syrup! Most condiments are loaded with… Read more »

Click
Click
March 26, 2011 3:44 pm

Update: At the end of the third day I noticed a change in my breath. I call it yack mouth! This I have since found out is a sign that your body is now in Ketosis. Also a couple of bouts diarrea in the first few days of this diet I’ve since found out are related to Ketosis also. This is now my sixth day of almost zero carbs. I did enjoy a glass of dry red wine each night. I also had a small amount of dessert each night as well. Even with these two treats my carb intake… Read more »

Click
Click
March 24, 2011 5:51 pm

I’m a 49 yo gout sufferer that hasn’t taken any meds. I tested your theory a few weeks ago, started felling better, got cocky and had some pizza then some pasta the following night. Woke up the next day and couldn’t walk again.

This time I’m on the third day of low to no carbs and I’m felling better and walking again. This time I’m sticking with it. I’ll report back my findings.

Jim F
Jim F
January 5, 2011 3:16 pm

Great information Doc, I sent to a good friend suffering from Gout and he was blown away. He is eager to experience the change.

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