What causes gout ?
Gout is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a waste product that forms when the body breaks down chemicals in the cells known as purines.
Purines are natural substances found in all of the body's cells, and in virtually all foods.
High-purine foods are also high-protein foods, and they include organ meats like kidney, fish like mackerel, herring, sardines and mussels, and also yeast. Uric acid is the chemical formed when purines have been broken down completely.
Most uric acid is removed from the body through the kidneys. A small amount is removed through the digestive system.
Uric acid usually remains dissolved in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine so it can be passed out of your body.
If you produce too much uric acid or excrete too little when you urinate, the uric acid will build up and may cause microscopic crystals to form, usually in a joint or surrounding tissue.
The crystals may spill over from the joint cartilage into the joint space where they trigger a reaction from the soft lining (synovium), which produces the intense pain and inflammation associated with gout.
Natural supplements like Cherry Active help to reduce pain and get rid off excess levels of uric acid.
Factors which increase your risk of gout include:
•age and gender: gout is more common when you get older and is three-to-four times more likely in men
•being overweight or obese
•having high blood pressure or diabetes
•having close relatives with gout (gout often runs in families)
•having long-term kidney problems that reduce the elimination of uric acid
•a diet rich in purines; such as frequently eating sardines and liver etc
•drinking too much beer or spirits – these types of alcoholic drinks contain relatively high levels of purines