PT Health Life – Hyperuricemia is caused by purine metabolism disorders, found mainly in adults. When suffering from hyperuricemia, in addition to medication, patients need to pay attention to lifestyle and an appropriate balanced diet to support treatment and prevention.
1. What is high uric acid index?
Hyperuricemia may not cause any symptoms but can also be deposited in the joints and soft tissues around the joints causing gout; Or it can be deposited in organs causing other diseases such as kidney stones and ureteral stones. On the other hand, increased uric acid is also an independent factor that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension.
Many studies have shown that uric acid is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease after adjustment. Therefore, until now, uric acid still plays a role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and kidney disease. The above hypothesis is also supported by research showing that children with increased uric acid will be at risk of developing high blood pressure in adulthood and early onset of high blood pressure.
Normal uric acid (UA) index will range from 2.5 – 7.0 mg/dL in men and 1.5 – 6.0 mg/dL in women.
Meanwhile, high uric acid index is determined as follows: > 7.0 mg/dL in men, > 6.0 mg/dL in women, children and adolescents are > 5.5 mg/dL.
2. Who needs a blood uric acid test?
The following subjects will often be assigned a blood uric acid test:
- People with joint pain or swelling are suspected of having gout ;
- People who are or are about to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy;
- People with recurring kidney stones ;
- People with a history of gout;
- Obese people;
- People with diabetes;
- People whose diet is high in seafood protein;
- People who have the habit of drinking a lot of alcohol…
3. What should people
In addition to medication, people with increased uric acid need to pay attention to their activities and diet. A proper balanced diet is important to support treatment and prevention.
The main rule in the diet of people with hyperuricemia is to reduce foods high in purines. Purines are natural compounds in some foods. Purines, when decomposed in the body, create uric acid. Eating too many foods containing purines causes the body to produce too much uric acid, causing hyperuricemia.
4. Advice for people with hyperuricemia
People with high uric acid should avoid eating the following foods to avoid more serious conditions:
– Avoid eating animal organs
Foods of animal origin often contain a lot of purines, in which some organs have very high purine content such as liver, kidney… Therefore, patients should not add these foods to their food. daily order to avoid high uric acid levels in the blood, which pose a serious threat to health. In particular, limiting the consumption of animal organs helps significantly reduce the risk of gout outbreaks.
– Avoid eating red meat
Red meat is rich in purines, typically beef, lamb and pork. The body has the ability to break down purines into uric acid, causing the concentration of this compound in the blood to increase. From here, crystals crystallize in the joints, causing outbreaks of many serious diseases, especially gout.
Among them, the two types of purines that account for the most in red meat are hypoxanthine and adenine, much higher than other foods. This is proven to be the leading factor that increases the risk of gout.
– Avoid eating seafood
Similar to red meat, seafood is rich in purines, which can be converted into uric acid, causing harm to health. Purine-rich seafood includes: anchovies, sardines, and clams. , river mussels, salmon, tuna…
When gout progresses more aggressively, symptoms are effectively controlled, patients can eat seafood but are only allowed to eat a minimum amount.
– Abstain from alcohol
Alcohol increases the risk of developing and recurring gout. Therefore, people with high uric acid levels should limit consumption of this beverage.
– Foods high in sugar
Sugars, especially fructose, have the ability to increase uric acid levels in the blood. Therefore, cutting down on sweets is an important measure to control diseases related to high uric acid.
People with high uric acid should prioritize using the following beneficial foods and drinks:
– You should eat fruit
Some fruits are especially good for people with high uric acid levels in the blood such as: Bananas because they have very low purine content, have the ability to reduce acid levels in the blood, especially beneficial for people. have gout.
You should eat apples, this fruit contains high fiber content, has the ability to absorb uric acid in the blood and enhance the removal of excess uric acid from the body. In addition, the malic acid compound in apples also helps neutralize uric acid, which is very good for people with gout.
You should eat citrus fruits: Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, tangerines… are rich sources of Vitamin C and citric acid, helping the body maintain stable uric acid levels, increasing Remove excess substances to prevent serious diseases.
– Increase your intake of green fruits and vegetables
Tomatoes, broccoli and cucumbers are foods that can reduce uric acid levels in the body by increasing blood alkalinity. Patients can eat it raw or steamed. Patients should actively add foods rich in this nutrient to their daily menu, typically: kiwi, bell peppers, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, guava, lemon…
Drinking green tea has the ability to reduce uric acid production in the body. This is a good drink for people with gout or high uric acid levels in the blood.
In addition, patients should actively take the following measures to effectively control uric acid levels in the blood such as:
– Drink a lot of water
Patients with high uric acid should drink plenty of water (8 – 16 glasses/day), accounting for at least 50% of the total amount of fluid intake per day. In addition, drinks rich in Vitamin C such as orange juice and tangerine juice also help reduce uric acid levels in the blood.
– Losing weight
Being overweight increases the risk of developing gout. Therefore, losing weight is a very important measure. Even if you follow a purine-restricted diet but are overweight or obese, gout is likely to progress rapidly.
– Check blood sugar index
Hyperuricemia is closely related to the progression of diabetes and many related complications. Conversely, high blood sugar also has the potential to worsen symptoms of gout. Therefore, patients should check their blood pressure regularly, even if they do not have diabetes.
