Two fizzy drinks can give you gout
Are you among those who limp into the office and loosen their shoes to ease the acute joint pain? You are most probably affected by a type of arthritis called gout. It involves very severe attacks of joint pain followed by long periods of remission. Once gout was known as ‘the disease of kings’ because it was thought that only the very wealthy could afford quantities of alcohol usually associated with it But according to a recent study two fizzy drinks a day or too many sugary soft drinks could trigger gout.
There is a link between soft drinks and gout because the condition is caused by the formation of urate crystals, formed by too much uric acid crystals, in joints - typically the big toe. Sweet fizzy drinks contain large amounts of fructose that increase the levels of uric acid in the blood and so can give gout if taken in quantity.
Until now, the general advice was to avoid alcohol, particularly beer. Of course, once gout sets in, then it's time for the anti-inflammatory pills, which don't necessarily have to be on prescription.
Rheumatologist Dr Hyon Choi, of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, who led the study, said: "The risk of gout posed by the highest fifth of fructose intake was comparable to that seen with alcohol intake of 30g to 50g daily.
"Similarly, the magnitudes of risk posed by sugar- sweetened soft drinks or fruit juices were slightly larger than that of spirits." In the United States, a doubling of the number of people with gout over the past few decades has coincided with a substantial increase in the consumption of soft drinks.
The news comes as a report revealed Britons are rejecting fizzy drinks. Market analysts Datamonitor says the amount of fizzy drinks consumed will fall from 61 per cent of all cold, soft drinks to 50 per cent over three years.
Datamonitor believes health conscious people from the countries like USA and Britain are abandoning sugary drinks on health grounds. They are now more likely to drink bottled water or fruit juice.
It is suggested that simply over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen can be a good reliever for gout, at the same time it’s also handy to keep them at the office and at home. But for chronic gout sufferers need to consult doctor and take medication on the daily basis
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