Scientific research have shown that eating a low purine diet can prominently reduce your risk of suffering from an extremely painful condition called gouty arthritis. It's a very painful disease that is most common in older men, and is induced by a condition called hyperuricemia, which means that there is an excess of uric acid in the blood. When this happens, the body will form crystals that accumulate in the joints and cause aching gouty arthritis's symptoms.
Uric acid is a waste product left over from metabolic process of chemical compounds called purines that can be found in some of the foods ordinarily consumed by many people today. Low purine diets are notably helpful in lowering levels of uric acid in the body, and will usually cover reducing or cutting out foods that have high levels of purines.
If you suffer from gouty arthritis or have a family predisposition to this malady, it is a good idea to steer clear of low carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins and Protein Power diets. Their recommendation to eat large amounts of foods high purines such as meats and dark vegetables is almost sure to cause problems in those predisposed to gouty arthritis.
Once thought of as a "rich man's disease" because only the wealthy could afford to eat briny meats and rich breads and malted liquors on a regular basis, gouty arthritis is making a comeback due to the tendency of comparatively modern people to ignore foods high purines content in favor of convenience and cost. However, it's rather easy to switch to a low purine diet and the health benefits are great...they can even help you to lose weight quicker than low carbohydrate fad diets and keep the weight off, which is another way to dampen your predisposition to gouty arthritis.
Staying away from the list of foods high in purines is a start, and there are natural treatments that can help alleviate the symptoms as well.
It's an incomplete list of foods high in purines, which have the highest concentration of purines and should be avoided by those who are prone to gout or are already suffering from it.
While these foods high purine levels can also prejudice symptoms of gouty arthritis, they can sometimes be enjoyed in moderation by those who usually follow a low purine diet. In this group is asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, peas, spinach, whole-grain breads and cereals, white poultry meats, such as chicken, duck and turkey, kidney and lima beans.
There are some foods that are good to include in a low purine diet, though they should not comprise the entirety of your eating plan: green vegetables and tomatoes, fruits and fruit juices, breads that do not use yeast, nuts, milk and milk products, such as butter and cheese, chocolate, coffee and tea.