New study shows cherry does have effect to reduce gout

Recently I read an article published on Journal of Arthritis, "Pilot Studies of Cherry Juice Concentrate for Gout Flare Prophylaxis". It is interesting because I just wrote a post not long ago about cherry and gout. Cherry, miracle cure for gout? I found many positive words about cherry on gout, however, this article is the first one directly studying the effect scientifically.

14 patients with crystal proven gout participated in this study. 9 of them were given 1 table spoon cherry juice concentrates (equivalent to 45 to 60 cherries) twice a day and 5 of them were given same amount of pomegranate juice concentrates (1 tbsp equivalent to 1 pomegranate) for 120 days.  The patients taking cherry juice had a significant decreasing in the number of gout flares, which was not seen on the patients consuming pomegranate juice. 5 out of 9 patients were even free of flare and stopped NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)  intake. One interesting discovery is that even though cherry juice shows significant positive effect, it did not reduce the uric acid level. Therefore the authors believe the real magic behind is its anti-inflammatory actions such as inhibition of IL-1β secretion.

 

The study was small and short term (just 4 months), like the title said 'pilot study'. But I think it makes sense. It explains why many people reduced the pain of acute gout attack after they drank cherry juice. It probably has some effects similar to the NSAIDs but it is better because it is natural.

Best sautéed kale recipe

Kale is probably one of the healthiest vegitable in the planet. One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

One of my favorite way to cook kale is sautéed kale. Below is my favorite recipe, combined from many good ones I have found on the internet and tested in my pot. My husband likes it! I think the key elements are garlic and vinegar. Also it is important to first cover then open the lid to let the water gone.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 3 slice Spanish chorizo, chopped in small pieces (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (red wine vinegar, Chinese rice vinegar, sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar)

Directions1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and chorizo bits. Cook until garlic soft, but not colored. Add crushed red pepper.
3. Add kale and toss to combine. Cook until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute
3. Raise heat to high, add water or stock. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

Giving up wine, is it really nessesary for gout sufferers?

Myself is not really a wine drinker. Actually I don't like any alcohol. However, my husband occasionally does like to drink a little bit wine. Ever since he got a couple of serious gout attack, I started the research on gout, trying to find a way to cure or at least contain it.

There are some research on the relationship between alcohol and gout. Though they are often inconclusive but somehow persuasive on the negative effect on gout. Particularly beer, since not only it contains alcohol but also contains purine. I read an article in Bandolier, an independent journal about evidence-based health care. It mentions an experiment conducted on 10 healthy men divided into two groups: non-alcohol consumer and regular alcohol drinker. All men were given oral alcohol and their blood samples were taken after 4 hours. It turns out that uric acid level rose 40 µmol/L after 180 min for regular drinker but no difference for abstainers. Even though the experiment only for 10 people and none of them has gout, it is still showing some quantitative evidence.

As for wine, the only direct research and people often refer to was the one published in 2004. The researchers followed 47,150 men aged 40 to 75 over 12 years, looking at their drinking habits (how many grams of alcohol they consumed per day). None of the men had gout in the beginning. The researchers documented 730 confirmed incident cases of gout among the men by Year 12.  Compared with men who did not drink alcohol, the risk of developing gout increased with the amount of alcohol that the person was consuming. (Choi, et al, April, 2004). However,  there did not appear to be an association between drinking two 4 oz.  glasses of wine a day and developing gout, regardless of whether the men were drinking red or white wine. Yet it is acknowledged that port, some red wines and stouts contain purines or oxypurines, which lead to an increased purine load.

Since there are not much scientific research on the effect of wine, particularly there has no real research on how drinking wine can affect people already had or are having gout attack. Can it trigger an attack? I turn to various gout forum to seek my answer. Sometimes the best information come from the people who are suffering from the problem because people will try all sort of ways to reduce the pain, often make harder effort than their doctors.

After reading and reading from the forum on this particular topic, I have the impression that red wine seems to cause more trouble than white wine. Many people said that they got attack right after drinking red wine. And I did not read too many people had the same experience with white wine. Even one person thought a white wine daily actually made him feel better. Another person thought red wine caused his attack 3 on 3 while the white wine seemed fine.

Though it is purely observation based, at this point, my conclusion is that: try not to drink alcohol, but if you have to, maybe try a glass of white wine.