Advice to avoid alcohol when you have gout has been around for a long time — even medical pamphlets from the 1800’s say it’s best for gout sufferers to stop drinking. However, one of the first large scale medical studies on alcohol and gout only took place in 2004! Published in The Lancet medical journal, the study followed over 47,000 male medical professionals with no history of gout for over 10 years. By the end of the study, an unlucky 2 percent of the men had begun experiencing attacks of gout.
What’s alcohol got to do with it? Men in study who drank the most alcohol daily had twice the risk of developing gout as men who did not drink. However, and this is a big however, beer drinkers increased their risk for gout by 50% for every daily serving, while those who drank hard liquor increased their risk by 15% for each drink.
Beer is Fear
But there was small piece of good news: Men in the study who drank wine only did not increase their risk for gout. Most of these wine drinking men had one or two glasses of vino daily.
Researchers have some ideas why beer is so bothersome for gout . . . it could be due to beer’s relatively high purine content compared to wine and liquor, or it could have something to do with the high gluten content of beer that contributes to inflammation. Because alcohol is a diuretic, dehydration caused by excessive alcohol consumption could also be a contributing factor.
My tophi went away!!!
MY tophi went away!!!! It was there for a month, then it started leaking, i pressured it , rub it , and the clear gel came out then a little blood, now it’s gone, my finger looks normal (except for the inflammation it has). In January I changed my diet, no meat, very little chicken, lots of veggies, tofu, fish, and lots of alkaline water, lemons, and of course walking 3 or 4 times a day about 2 miles each, keeping busy yard work, washing my car, being positive, I took combination of Gout, Joint,kidney, liver, multi-vitamins, read a lot about gout in your blogs and website, all over, and prayed. My gout is gone, I just have arthritis on my fingers, sometimes my feet hurt when I walk , oh also no BEER, but I still have some now and then. I’m continuing everything I have done above, i’m not changing back to my old ways of eating and ‘couch potato’ ways. Thanks to you for inspiration too!!! I know people with Gout are far worse than I was and it was scary seeing those pics of their feet. PS: I never went to the Dr. and took any kind of Meds. ALSO I bought a ‘grounding mat’ , read about it, it works. ~ Ruben
Wine is Fine (with moderation)
Whatever is behind this beer-gout connection, the results of this study led researchers to suggest that “individuals with gout should try to limit or even cut out their beer consumption, whereas wine may be allowed, given other health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption.”
Personally, I’ve noticed that beer is more likely to bring on gout than wine. I can (and occasionally do) drink a ton of wine and can get away with no gout “close-encounters.” But if I have a big beer night, I know that trouble is going to follow.
According to the Mayo Clinic, resveratrol in red wine helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces “bad” cholesterol and prevents blood clots. This is what makes red wine a “heart healthy” drink of choice.
What Type of Wine Should I Buy?
In my opinion, there is only ONE type of wine fit for a gout killer: Dry Farm Wine. DFW is an online mail order club that searches the world over to find and bring us the “cleanest” wines (no pesticides, herbicides, additives, GMOs, etc). But the most important feature of DFW for gout killers is that each batch is tested and proven to have statistically ZERO sugar. And sugar is the enemy, especially when it comes to gout.
☆ References
Alcohol intake and risk of incident gout in men: a prospective study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15094272
Alcohol and gout
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/gout/alcgout.html
Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-wine/HB00089
“I know your pain. Let me help you kill your gout for good! And teach you to advocate for yourself and take ownership of your gout recovery, by showing you how to live the gout-free lifestyle.” Two decades ago, Bert Middleton found himself diagnosed with gout. Like 8.3 million other people in the United States (approximately 4% of the population), he struggled helplessly with the physical, emotional, social, and financial impact that gout left unchecked can have on your life. Prescription drugs were of limited help… And the terrible pain of regular gout attacks left him unable to enjoy even the simplest daily pleasures. His marriage was suffering. His finances were spiraling due to the impact gout had on his ability to work. And maintaining a social life was often nearly impossible. Tophi surgeries left him in terrible pain. And he found himself depressed … and angry … that gout was stealing years of his life.
Until one day, after hundreds of hours of research and self-experimentation, Bert finally had a breakthrough and created a blueprint for a way of living that would prove to be “the answer” to living gout-free for nearly a decade now. Today, Bert and his “Gout Wife” Sharon devote their evenings and weekends to educating other gout sufferers on how to live the gout-free lifestyle. Showing others his 911 Emergency Response Gout Recovery Plan for getting PAINFUL gout attacks under control in as little as 4 hours. And then, how to make daily choices that keep gout under control for GOOD! So you can finally start LIVING again!
