Reduce your risk of gout with vitamin C

Added 25.03.2009

What is gout?

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, gout is a type of arthritis that is the result of a build-up of uric acid in the blood. A build-up of uric acid can be due to producing too much uric acid, not getting enough uric acid or consuming a lot of purine-rich foods. Foods that contain purines include meat (especially organ meats), anchovies, sardines and spinach.

Typical symptoms of gout are inflamed, hot, stiff and painful joints that are usually characterised by attacks in the big toe but can also occur in heels, ankles, knees, wrists, elbows and fingers. This happens because excess uric acid forms urate crystals around joints. Gout is much more prevalent in men than in women, especially in men over the age of 40 who consume alcohol regularly.

Vitamin C is good for gout

The study, spanning 30 years and involving 46,994 male participants, revealed that men who consumed 500 to 999 mg of vitamin C a day had a 17 percent reduced risk of gout; those who consumed 1,000 to 1,499 mg of vitamin C a day had a 34 percent reduced risk of gout and those who had an intake of over 1,500 mg of vitamin C a day had a 45 percent reduced risk of gout.

How is vitamin C good for gout?

Although more research into the mechanisms of action of vitamin C are needed, scientists think that vitamin C lowers uric acid levels in the blood and the development of urate crystals by playing a role in the reabsorption of uric acid by the kidneys.

References:

• Buy Vitamin C Extra Supplement