Why is the number of gout patients “out of control”? Simply because it’s the small details in life that are hard to guard against, with over half of them related to diet.
Although humans are at the top of the food chain, when faced with diseases, we still appear so insignificant. Despite having relatively advanced medical means, they cannot completely guarantee our physical health. For instance, persisting problems like high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and other blood lipid issues can only be controlled with medication rather than fully cured. With the continuous emergence of various new diseases, high uric acid quietly comes into play. In the past two years, the number of patients has been soaring. As of the end of 2018, the number of high uric acid patients in China has exceeded 200 million.
Speaking of high uric acid, gout must be mentioned because gout is an early symptom of high uric acid and can be seen as a distress signal from the body. Once it appears, it is essential to take effective measures promptly for regulation, as failure to do so can easily deteriorate into kidney failure. However, before treatment, what we need to do is to understand the causes of gout and high uric acid. This understanding is crucial for preventing and alleviating the conditions. Through investigations, it’s found that the factors leading to gout are very complex, primarily categorized into genetic inheritance and unhealthy lifestyle habits, where genetic inheritance is irreversible, but we can start with lifestyle habits.
Why is the number of gout patients “out of control”? Simply because it’s the small details in life that are hard to guard against, with over half of them related to diet.
Preference for meat
The emergence of gout and high uric acid is significantly related to our current dietary structure. In the early years, people’s lives were relatively austere, mostly consisting of various coarse grains and vegetables daily, with meat consumed occasionally. However, as life has become affluent, many people now have a preference for meat, almost feeling incomplete without it. Meat is the food with the highest purine content among all foods. When the intake exceeds the limit, it leads to an increase in body uric acid, triggering gout.
Love for beverages
Our bodies require a significant amount of fluid replenishment daily, but many people find beverages more enjoyable than plain water due to their richer taste. Consequently, they directly substitute beverages for fluid replenishment. However, beverages generally contain large amounts of sugar, so excessive consumption can decrease the body’s excretion function for uric acid, leading to an elevation in internal uric acid levels and the emergence of gout.
Smoking and drinking
Smoking and drinking can be considered the two major obstacles on the path to a healthy and long life for humans. Despite being aware of the harm they pose to health, many people cannot resist their allure. Smoking not only damages the lungs, while drinking harms the liver, both affecting the kidneys and easily leading to an imbalance in the body’s uric acid levels, increasing the likelihood of gout.
How to overcome gout
Stay hydrated
To overcome gout, it is crucial to control the body’s uric acid levels. Under normal circumstances, uric acid is mainly excreted through urine. Therefore, the best way to lower uric acid levels is by drinking water to accelerate the excretion of uric acid from the body, reduce the chances of gout occurring. It is advisable to maintain a daily water intake of over 2000 milliliters.
Aerobic exercise
Exercise is the best way to alleviate all anomalies, and in daily life, aerobic exercise can reduce the generation of uric acid in the body. It can also effectively enhance kidney activity, ensuring their ability to balance the body’s uric acid levels and minimizing the occurrence of gout.
Nutritionist’s view: Many of our body’s abnormalities are related to the small details in life, most of which are caused by dietary habits. High uric acid is itself a typical chronic disease, which may not have a significant impact on health in the early stages. However, it is crucial to carefully monitor its warning signs and preferably keep gout in check.
