Is gout becoming “younger”?
The group with gout is getting younger, and many young people are showing symptoms of gout. Recently, I saw a news report about a high school student who had gout, and the reason behind it was regrettable.
This high school student usually does not like to drink plain water but enjoys drinking carbonated beverages a lot. Sometimes, he drinks more than two cans of carbonated drinks a day. Later, he started feeling pain in his toes, and when his family took him for a check-up, they found that his uric acid levels were significantly elevated, triggering gout.
In fact, the symptoms of gout mostly occur due to excessive intake of high-fat and high-purine foods, which is one of the important factors that trigger gout.
In reality, the reasons for the increasing youthful onset of gout are diverse, and the factors that lead to gout even cover many aspects of life. It is important to address them early to let uric acid return to normal gradually.
Four things to change early to stabilize uric acid
Excessive intake of alcoholic beverages
Alcohol can stimulate an increase in blood lactic acid levels. Long-term alcohol consumption can gradually elevate uric acid levels. Nowadays, many young people, especially in social gatherings or friend meetings, often drink alcohol.
At the same time, we also notice that many young people like to consume large amounts of alcohol in bars or during dinners. Some women even drink alcohol to relieve their stress. The problem of excessive alcohol consumption has led to frequent occurrences of gout symptoms in young people.
Excessive intake of high-purine foods
Although hot pot is popular among the general public, it contains a large amount of purine, which can cause symptoms such as gout after prolonged use. Nowadays, with the continuous rise in consumption levels and dietary standards, beef, lamb, animal offal, seafood, and other high-purine foods often appear on the dining table.
If you consume too many high-purine foods, it will lead to a continuous rise in uric acid levels, causing uric acid salt crystals to deposit in the joints, leading to acute gout.
High intake of sugar
Sugary drinks have become an important factor in triggering gout. Beverages like juices, colas, milk tea, etc., if consumed regularly, significantly increase the risk of gout.
Freshly squeezed fruit juices contain a large amount of sugar compared to directly eating fruits. Freshly squeezed fruit juices have more sugar, which is easily absorbed by the body. Consuming large quantities of such beverages may lead to persistently high uric acid levels, triggering acute gout.
Irregular lifestyle
Unhealthy eating habits can easily cause hormonal imbalances. Prolonged late nights or irregular routines also prevent various organs of the body from resting properly, reducing the body’s ability to metabolize blood uric acid.
Males are more severely affected by staying up late than females, so the likelihood of developing gout is higher. Therefore, if you experience persistent fatigue and weakness, it is necessary to rest in time and avoid staying up late excessively.
The above four factors are likely the culprits behind the increasing youthfulness of gout. It is advised to address them early, which may help uric acid gradually return to normal, alleviate gout symptoms, and promote overall health.
The “stabilizers” for high uric acid levels are announced, with winter melon ranking third, and the first choice of most people.
First, cherries
Cherries are a very common fruit that contains a large amount of antioxidant elements, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and vitamin C, among others. Eating cherries regularly can promote blood circulation, facilitate uric acid excretion, and alleviate gout symptoms.
Anthocyanins in cherries have a good relieving effect on arthritis and muscle soreness. If you frequently include cherries in your meals, it helps uric acid gradually return to normal, relieves gout symptoms, and cherries are popular among the masses.
Second, dandelion
Although dandelion is an inconspicuous wild vegetable, its health benefits to the body should not be overlooked. It has diuretic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects and is known as a “natural antibiotic.”
Drinking dandelion-infused water frequently can help excrete uric acid from the body smoothly, eliminate inflammation, and clear out pathogens, reducing swelling, uric acid gradually returns to normal.
Third, winter melon
Winter melon is a beloved food for many. Brewing winter melon soup has significant health benefits. After drying winter melon rind and soaking it in water, it also offers high nutritional value.
Consistently drinking water infused with winter melon rind helps in reducing internal heat, accelerating body metabolism, reducing uric acid excretion, removing residual dampness and coldness, and gradually stabilizing uric acid levels. Winter melon is known as a high uric acid stabilizer.
Fourth, chicory
Chicory has very high health benefits for the body, quickly eliminating toxins and waste from the body, enhancing digestive and absorption functions of the intestines and stomach.
Chicory is also a good food for reducing uric acid, promoting the metabolism of uric acid in the body, beneficial for diuresis and alleviating swelling, decomposing uric acid, reducing the burden on the kidneys, and maintaining a stable internal body environment.
Fifth, pumpkin
Pumpkin is a treasure all over, from seeds to vines to leaves to fruits, each part has high health benefits. Regularly including pumpkin in your meals helps protect overall health.
Pumpkin contains a large amount of alkaline substances, which help in improving the digestion of purine metabolites, have a strong effect in reducing uric acid, enhance the body’s immune system, reduce disease risks, and are known as high uric acid stabilizers.
With the rise in internal uric acid levels, it is essential to control the intake of high-purine foods. Besides, developing good lifestyle and dietary habits can promote overall metabolism, reduce the residual of harmful substances, maintain the steady internal body environment, protect body health, and lead to a longer lifespan.
