I love cheese . . . always have and always will!
Back in the day of getting gout attacks, cheddar cheese was a regular part of my gout diet, just because I liked it. Without really knowing anything about dairy for gout, cheese felt like a “safe” food to eat . . . a “risk-free” source of protein. And I would eat a bit of yogurt now and then, but I never liked milk. I didn’t go out of my way to either include or avoid dairy because of how it would or wouldn’t affect my gout, I just ate cheese and yogurt because I liked them.
More recently though, I have learned about the research of Dr. Weston A. Price, and the Weston A. Price Foundation, and I now understand why dairy is an important ingredient in a healthy diet for gout relief. But not just any dairy . . . it must be RAW dairy from pasture-raised cows. Raw dairy provides a rich source of essential fatty acids needed for optimal health and wellness, and the live cultures that naturally occur in raw milk help to keep our digestion running smoothly.
So, what can milk and dairy do for your gout? Here’s what you need to know.
How Milk Cuts Gout Risk
In the 1600’s, famous English philosopher — and fellow gout sufferer — John Locke scribbled in his notebooks about all the various treatments he’d tried to relieve his gout, and whether or not they worked. Topping his list of effective remedies? Milk.
Almost 400 years later, this ancient wisdom still rings true. According to a landmark study on diet and gout conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard’s medical and public health schools, it was found after tracking the gout symptoms of over 47,000 men that those who the highest consumption of dairy products were up to 42 percent less likely to develop gout over their lifetimes.
In a 2009 study from researchers in Auckland, New Zealand, researchers further investigated the milk connection by collecting blood and urine samples from 16 volunteers immediately before and after they drank soy or skim milk. After drinking soy milk, levels of uric acid rose 10 percent on average over a three-hour period. After drinking skim milk? Uric acid levels dropped by 10 percent in the same time frame.
More recently, a 2012 study, also conducted in New Zealand, looked at the effects of taking an enriched skim milk supplement to provide gout relief. The study involved 120 people who’d had at least two gout flare-ups over the last four months. Participants received either lactose (milk sugar) powder, skimmed milk powder, or skimmed milk powder with added GMP (whey protein) and G600 (milk fat extract).
After three months, flare-ups had decreased in all three groups. So, good for milk! However, people drinking the enriched skimmed milk saw the greatest reduction in gout attacks and also had greater improvement in their joint pain and in the amount of uric acid leaving their body in their urine.
What is the secret behind milk’s ability to reduce gout? Orotic acid, a compound in milk that promotes uric acid removal by the kidneys. Milk has it, and likewise products made from milk, including cheese, kefir, and yogurt, also contain it.
. . .
Hey Bert,
What you do is invaluable to help Gout sufferers.
I haven’t had an attack for over a year by taking note of all of your tips and help. Knowing, what to do and making lifestyle changes are key. I still like to socialize but counteract with cleaner food, breathing and good quality PH water. Add on the baking soda and organic cider vinegar then have most bases covered.
Thanks so much for all you do,
Mike
. . .
Why Raw Milk for Gout?
The studies I just referenced all used low-fat or skim milk, but truly, raw whole milk really does make all the difference. Plus, I should add, some people in the skim milk powder study reported that the powder produced side effects including diarrhea, nausea, and gas. The painful inflammation of gout is way worse, but still, there has to be a better trade-off than replacing gout with gas!
My eyes became opened to the wonders of raw milk after reading the book, Nourishing Traditions that talks about the work of Weston A. Price, a dentist (yes, dentist) who traveled the world studying the dietary habits of the world’s healthiest people. In short, we need fats – the whole low-fat craze is just propaganda from big corporate financial interests (surprise, surprise) — and does not support optimal health.
On the other hand, raw milk from cows raised on pasture grass — not feedlot grain — is especially rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a sort of “wonder fat” that can do everything from improve insulin sensitivity to decrease cholesterol levels. Raw milk is also a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and “good bacteria” that helps with gut health.
If you’re just not sure about the raw part, understand that when milk is pasteurized and homogenized it changes structurally, and becomes less potent in all its good stuff. When John Locke wrote in the 17th century that drinking milk was his top gout remedy, you can be he was drinking raw whole milk!
Here’s a clip about what they say about all that in Nourishing Traditions:
Last but not least, pasteurization destroys all enzymes in milk – in fact, the test for successful pasteurization is absence of enzymes. These enzymes help the body assimilate all bodybuilding factors, including calcium. That is why those who drink pasteurized milk may suffer from osteoporosis. Lipase in raw milk helps the body digest and utilize butterfat.
Even people who are normally allergic to drinking milk are often able to drink raw milk! For more information of safe sources of raw milk, see the info-packed realmilk.com site.
As for me, I now drink lots of whole raw milk (not skim or low-fat) and I love it! I also make my own kefir at home using raw milk, and I eat raw cheddar cheese. These dairy products are a big important part of my diet that help keep me gout-free. In sum, I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that high-quality raw dairy products are fantastic for overall health, and especially for gout!
+ Bottom-line: And so, after all this, I have just one question for you, my gout friend: Got Milk?
+++ Sources:
Purine-Rich Foods, Dairy and Protein Intake, and the Risk of Gout in Men
Got Gout? Get milk?
Effects of skim milk powder enriched with glycomacropeptide and G600 milk fat extract on frequency of gout flares: a proof-of-concept randomised controlled trial
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22275296
