Gout sufferers tend to be overweight. A big contributing factor to this dilemma is a low quality diet. Many of the foods that overweight people eat tend to be high in purines. These foods are main contributors to not only weight gain, but also a gout attack.

Lowering your intake of high purine foods goes to the heart of the problem. Many high purine foods are high in fat and deter your ability to lose weight effectively. Common high purine foods are hamburgers, hot dogs, and bacon. We all know these foods would never make a list of foods to help you improve your health. Decrease your amount of these foods or better yet, eliminate them altogether.

Studies have shown that drinking several soda pops a day actually raises your chances for gout by up to fifty percent. This is partly due to the dehydrating effects of soda which makes your kidneys work harder. Proper renal function is critical to getting rid of gout as it helps excrete excess uric acid.

Diet sodas are not a good option if you drink regular soda. Diet pops can have a negative effect on losing weight. These seemingly helpful drinks make you hungrier and some health professionals actually think diet sodas are worse than drinking regular pop. Not to mention the chemicals used in diet drinks have been found in studies to increase your risk of cancer. Just don’t drink pop. Water is a much better alternative.

Canadian studies have shown that coffee actually can help treat gout. The old theory was coffee dehydrates so don’t drink it, but the latest studies show that drinking 4 cups of coffee a day can lower uric acid by up to fifty percent. Decaffeinated coffee also lowered uric acid if you are concerned with avoiding caffeine. Organic coffee would be a great option. It is more expensive, but you avoid all the potentially harmful chemical additives.

Making drastic changes at the same time is usually not a good way to go about things. Most people are not good at making such big changes quickly and therefore get discouraged and quit. Try for losing one pound a week. This is fairly simple to accomplish and you can make small changes instead of big ones. You will be more likely to stay on a healthy lifestyle regimen.

Lowering your risk for disease whether it is gout or heart disease can be accomplished if you take small steps. While you won’t see immediate improvement you will be more likely to keep on course to long term health. Your kidneys will reward you by working more productively which will reduce your risk of getting gout attacks.

Several alternative therapies can help you lose weight and stay healthy. Adding fruits to your diet is one of them. Not only will they help you lose excess pounds, they contain elements that treat painful gout symptoms and the root causes of this painful disease.