Gout: Does It Also Make People Smarter?

Why animals don’t get gout?

This is because cats and dogs, etc. have enzymes that break down uric acid, called uric acid oxidase. Humans, in the process of evolution, have lost this uric acid enzyme. Why do humans lose this uric acid enzyme?

It’s mainly because humans need the blood pressure maintained by salt to be able to stand upright. Since ancient times, people rarely consumed salt. We know that salt is an important substance for maintaining blood pressure. Lack of salt means we have to rely on uric acid.

Besides, uric acid is a natural antioxidant. During the reproductive process, it resists oxidative stress, prevents cell death, and maintains immune function.

Some even say that people with high uric acid are more intelligent. Of course, you cannot verify this, but there may be a connection. Because uric acid can stimulate the cerebral cortex. Many famous people have had gout, such as Newton, Darwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Lee Teng-hui, Lee Kuan Yew, and Wu Qili. Didn't they have gout? (Haha, it’s hard to prove).

Because cats and dogs don’t stand upright, they don’t need high uric acid.

How does gout happen?

The main reason is that the body’s purine metabolism is disrupted. If you look at young gout patients, they often have habits such as drinking alcohol, eating meat, animal organs, and seafood.

However, we know that the body doesn’t always handle purines well. What we can do is to control the intake of purine-rich foods.

If you have a gout attack, the requirements are strict. Our purine intake should be no more than 150 mg per day. This is to avoid acute attacks or the risk of high uric acid levels.

So, how to distinguish food purine levels? If the food contains less than 25 mg of purine per 100 grams, it’s low-purine food. If it exceeds 150 mg, it’s high-purine food. The range between 25~150 mg is medium-purine.

Generally, staple foods such as rice and noodles contain little purine.

Some snacks (like pastries) may need to be paid attention to, and it's best to combine coarse and fine grains.

Fruits need to choose those with low fructose content or high water content, such as cherries, strawberries, oranges, apples, pears, or watermelons. Avoid fruits with high fructose, such as lychees, hibiscus, pineapple...

Keep protein intake stable.

Too much protein will be broken down into uric acid. Generally, it is recommended for gout patients to consume 0.8~1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. And this protein is mainly from plant proteins, such as rice and noodles. During the remission period, you can eat some tofu and soybeans, because although soybeans are relatively high in purine, making them into tofu can greatly reduce the purine content. So you can eat about one ounce of tofu every day, and supplementing protein is important.

Milk and eggs for protein

If blood uric acid is still high but not during an acute gout attack, to ensure balanced nutrition, you can also eat some oily protein, including milk and eggs, and you can also eat some chicken. However, you should avoid red meat, such as pork, beef, and animal organs.

Gout or high uric acid needs a lot of water.

Only by reaching a sufficient amount of water, drinking at least 2000 ml, and 3000 ml during an acute gout attack, can you promote uric acid excretion.

You need to see if you drink enough water, mainly referring to the amount of urine, which should reach 2000 ml. It doesn't mean you drink a lot of water, but if the urine isn’t enough, this is a problem. This is especially important in summer when the weather is hot. What we can do is not let us sweat too much, but let the urine be excreted.

However, the recommendation is to drink white water. Beer or sugary drinks should be avoided because they have high purine levels. If you really want to drink alcohol, a small amount of wine, such as no more than two taels. Even if you drink wine, if you drink too much, you will cause excessive alcohol intake and gout.

Still can't resist a little wine.

Focus on Dr. Hu says eat! Eat is right, use less medicine.