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Uric acid, a seemingly ordinary chemical, once it accumulates in the human body, is like a time bomb planted, which may detonate acute gouty arthritis at any time, bringing a huge threat to our health.
When the level of uric acid in the blood continues to rise, it will not only lead to joint inflammation, but may even affect multiple organs damaged, especially our kidneys, so reducing uric acid levels has become the key to our prevention and gout.
To reduce uric acid levels, you first need to avoid consuming too much purine, which is a substance that occurs naturally in food, especially those so-called high-purine foods, which have a staggering purine content.
However, for the sake of our health, we need to consume various nutrients scientifically and rationally to keep the body functioning normally.
In this process, we need to pay attention to the fact that the purine content in different foods is different, so a reasonable combination of foods and a scientific adjustment of the dietary structure can help us effectively control uric acid levels.
01 The "new standard" of uric acid has been announced, and the values for men and women are different!
According to the new 2021 standard, the normal range of uric acid for men is 2379 to 3569 mol l, while the normal range of uric acid for women is 1784 to 2974μmol/l。
The announcement of this new standard is important for people with high uric acid, and for those with uric acid values outside the normal range, some measures can be taken to help reduce uric acid, such as controlling diet, increasing exercise and drinking water.
02 What harm does high-purine food bring to the body?
Gout attacks. The purines in high-purine foods will be converted into uric acid in the body, and excessive uric acid accumulates in the body, which can easily lead to the attack of gout, which is a joint inflammation that often manifests as joint pain, redness, swelling, heat and pain.
Uric acid stones. Excessive uric acid is deposited and crystallized in the urine, forming uric acid stones, mainly in the kidneys and urinary tract, uric acid stones can cause urinary tract infections, renal colic and other symptoms, and in severe cases, surgery may be required**.
Increased burden on the kidneys.
Consuming too much high-purine foods can lead to too much uric acid in the body, which will increase the burden on the kidneys, and long-term excessive burden may increase the risk of kidney disease.
Cardiovascular disease.
Studies have shown that high uric acid levels are associated with the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases (such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, etc.), and excessive intake of high-purine foods leads to increased uric acid levels, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Weight gain. High-purine foods are often high in fat and calories, and consuming too much may lead to weight gain, which can increase the risk of obesity and related health problems.
03 Does seafood raise uric acid?
Seafood may elevate uric acid.
The uric acid in the human body is mainly the purine nucleotides contained in the diet, and the purine content in seafood is generally high, so excessive consumption of seafood may lead to a significant increase in uric acid in the body, and even induce or aggravate hyperuricemia, gout and other diseases.
For healthy people, uric acid may rise briefly after eating seafood, but it can usually return to normal through excretion.
However, if there is kidney damage, renal insufficiency, etc., eating seafood may cause excess uric acid to be excreted in the urine, resulting in an increase in uric acid.
In addition, for people with a history of gout, eating seafood may lead to an increase in uric acid in the body, inducing gout attacks.
04 The natural "purine king" is 5 times that of "seafood", doctor: This "vegetarian dish" should be avoided.
Sugary drinks and high-sugar fruits.
In a Harvard study, researchers followed 46,393 average men for 12 years and found that men who consumed more than two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per month had an 85% increased risk of gout compared to men who consumed less than one serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per month!
The results of this study suggest a clear association between the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and fructose, which metabolizes more adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine monophosphate (AMP), which happens to be a uric acid precursor that induces uric acid production.
Therefore, fructose metabolism is one of the main reasons for the increase in uric acid production, on the other hand, increased fructose intake increases insulin resistance, which indirectly leads to a decrease in uric acid excretion.
In addition to sugary drinks, some fruits are also fructose's "hiding place", such as grapes, apples, kiwifruit, longan, persimmons, etc. are fruits with high fructose content, and these fruits should not be consumed in excess.
Some legumes and their products.
Not all "beans" are high-purine foods, the difference between them is not small, soybeans, mung beans, black beans, red beans and other common dry beans, as well as less water content of yuba, bean skin, etc., as well as broad beans are all high-purine foods, purine content is more than 150mg 100g, these foods need special attention when cooking, especially gout patients, should try to avoid eating.
The white kidney beans and flower kidney beans in miscellaneous beans, lactone tofu and southern tofu in soy products, and peas in vegetables belong to medium and high purine foods, with a purine content of 75-150mg 100g.
These foods also need to be used in moderation when cooking, but excessive consumption may lead to high levels of purines, which can increase the risk of gout.
Northern tofu, dried tofu, thicker soy milk and cowpeas in vegetables belong to low-to-medium purine foods, with a purine content of 35-75mg 100g, these foods need to be controlled in moderation when cooking, but moderate consumption will not have much impact on purines.
Portions of vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, broccoli, etc., may inhibit the excretion of uric acid, so people with high uric acid need to eat it in moderation, these vegetables are rich in dietary fiber and vitamins, and have many benefits for the human body, but excessive consumption may affect the excretion of uric acid, so it needs to be consumed in moderation.
Vegetables high in oxalic acid, such as spinach, callus, leeks, amaranth, bamboo shoots, etc., excessive intake will compete with uric acid in the body for excretion opportunities, resulting in a decrease in uric acid excretion;At the same time, excess oxalic acid will also combine with calcium in the body to produce calcium oxalate, which may aggravate the condition of stones.
Mushroom foods, such as shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, anchovy mushrooms, etc., are delicious but belong to foods with high purine content. Taking shiitake mushrooms as an example, the purine content of 100 grams of fresh shiitake mushrooms is about 214 mg, while the purine content of dried shiitake mushrooms can even reach 405 mg.
Asparagus has a purine content of up to 500 mg per 100 grams, which is even higher than some ordinary seafood, and people with high uric acid should also avoid eating asparagus.
Alcoholic beverages. Among the various alcoholic beverages, fermented alcohols usually have a higher purine content, such as beer and rice wine, and the purine content of beer is about 793mg 100g, and the purine content of rice wine is as high as 1533mg 100g, however, surprisingly, the purine content of baijiu is relatively low, with only about 2mg of purines in 100g of baijiu.
So, can patients with high uric acid drink liquor?Although the purine content of liquor is not high, the ethanol in alcohol will be metabolized into lactic acid after entering the human body, which may inhibit the metabolism of uric acid in the renal tubules, resulting in a decrease in the body's uric acid excretion, thereby causing an increase in the concentration of uric acid in the body.
In addition, people often drink alcohol with some "appetizers", such as various seafood, barbecue, stir-fried pork liver, braised duck intestines, etc., which are foods with high purine content.
Therefore, patients with high uric acid should limit alcohol consumption to avoid excessive purine and alcohol intake, so as to control uric acid levels and maintain good health.
05How to prevent and treat high uric acid in life?
Adequate hydration.
Drinking enough water can help dilute uric acid in the urine and promote uric acid excretion, and it is recommended to drink at least 8 glasses (about 2 liters) of water per day.
Exercise moderately. Moderate aerobic exercise can help control weight, improve metabolism and promote uric acid excretion, choose an exercise method that suits you, such as walking, running, swimming, etc.
Avoid stress and fatigue.
Long-term stress and fatigue may affect the body's metabolic function, increasing the risk of uric acid, maintaining good rest and sleep, regular relaxation and decompression, helping to maintain the body's balance and health.
06Drink 4 water often to help reduce uric acid.
Corn whiskers. Corn silk can speed up the body's metabolism, promote the excretion of urine, and help reduce uric acid.
Dandelion. Dandelion is a Chinese herbal medicine that has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, diuresis and swelling, and can help excrete uric acid from the body.
Plantain. Plantain has diuretic, antidiarrheal, eye-brightening, expectorant effects, and can help the body excrete excess water and uric acid.
Winter melon water. Winter melon has a good diuretic effect, which can help the uric acid accumulated in the body to be excreted with the urine, and the purine content is also less, which is an alkaline food and one of the better choices for people with high uric acid.
*: Life Tips, Life Tips, Life Knowledge).