Does Proper Digestion of Proteins Cure Gout?

Maybe.

The healthy and proper digestion of proteins is a struggle for millions of people around the the world. How well we digest proteins has everything to do with what causes gout.

So the question really becomes, “how do I improve my digestion?” right?

Stomach Acid

I’ve been excited about writing this post because of all the new information from my studies with the Nutritional Therapy Association.

For the sake of doing all that I can to be the world’s foremost authority on gout prevention, I’m on my way to becoming an “NTC” – Nutritional Therapy Consultant. One of many fascinating new things I’ve learned is that 90% of everyone of us is deficient in stomach acid and pepsin.

Pepsin is the enzyme that starts the initial breakdown of proteins in the stomach…BUT, it has to be activated by hydrochloric acid – better known as stomach acid.

Another major way that we’ve been completely hoodwinked by the pharmaceutical companies is with all the “antacids” that are constantly being prescribed; the truth is, it’s not that we make TOO MUCH stomach acid . . . we DON’T MAKE ENOUGH!

I urge you to take the time to learn all about it by getting this book: “Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You” by Jonathan Wright, MD. It is required reading for my NTC course.

Contrary to popular belief, production and secretion of stomach acid tends to decline with age. Just like you can’t run as fast or jump as high as you did when you were twenty, the parietal cells in mucosal lining of the stomach slow down too.

So what happens when HCl production declines? It starts a chain-reaction of gastric events including poor hormonal signaling, incomplete secretion, and malabsorption further along in the digestive tract.

How Better Digestion of Proteins
Helps to Avoid Getting Gout

I’m going to give this all to you real quick so stay with me:

• With good hydrochloric acid production, pepsin is activated and the proteins (remember? proteins are high in purines that breakdown into uric acid) are properly broken down and the pH of the stomach is correctly very acidic at this time. Then the food – now a slurry of acidic digested food called “chyme” – is released into the duodenum or the top of the small intestine.
• Because the pH of this slurry is very acidic at this point, it signals the pancreas to release BICARBONATE to raise the pH up to neutral, and pancreatic lipase for the breakdown of fats. Also this signals the gallbladder to release bile for the breakdown of fats. The small intestine is where we find the “villi” – microscopic finger-like tentacles that absorb the broken down molecules of food and let it enter the bloodstream and the lymph.

The take-away here is that the more well-digested the proteins are – and all the other carbohydrates and fats too – the better they are absorbed and used by the body, and less likely to become a problem later in the liver and kidneys . . . which of course is where the true cause of gout really happens.

What Can I Do to Improve My Digestion?

I’m glad you asked because I was going to tell you anyway.

There’s a lot that you can do to improve digestion of proteins as a means of gout prevention, but here are a few things to give you a simple head-start:

1. Relax. Don’t hurry. Enjoy your food/meal with a conscious measure of appreciation.
2. This is easy; chew your food really, really well. Take a bite and put your fork down. This is important because it really revs up the salivary amylase and starts working on the carbohydrates right away.
3. Eat a healthy amount of full-fat, plain, organic yogurt every day – it goes great with cherries and it helps heal the tired and damaged stomach lining. All the good “bugs” – healthy bacteria aid in digestion and keep the intestinal environment happy.
4. Having a small amount of kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and other femented or pickled foods and drinks work in the same way as yogurt only by a slightly different method.
5. With every meal, sip a small amount of apple cider vinegar in water. This helps to add additional moisture to the food, activate the salivary glands, and provide a more correct acidic pH of the digestive terrain so the stomach doesn’t have to work so hard.

Overweight and Undernourished

Just to wrap this up, all this business about low stomach acid production, sub-standard digestion, and incomplete absorption is why so many of us end up overweight and unhealthy. It almost doesn’t matter if we’re eating good foods or the right foods; if your digestion sucks, the foods don’t get broken down and used by the body in the right way. The result is all kinds of ill-health and stuff like gout.

☆ Remember!  Be thankful, eat slow, show your stomach some love, and the better you digest your foods, the less gout you’re gonna get.