You probably know your cholesterol and triglyceride levels by heart. It’s just as likely you can recite your blood sugar and blood pressure numbers when asked.
But do you have any idea what your uric acid level is?
Probably not.
In fact, there’s a good chance you don’t even know what uric acid is. That’s unfortunate, because it can play a dramatic role in your health.
This type of acid is a waste product. It’s produced when your body breaks down certain foods that you eat. Then it’s carried through your blood stream until it passes through your kidneys and excreted in your urine.
But sometimes you can produce more uric acid than you’re getting rid of. When this happens, it can result in a condition called hyperuricemia (pronounced hyper-yur-i-see-me-ya).
The incidence of this disorder has increased dramatically in the past few decades. Worse, the frequency of hyperuricemia increases with age. And it’s seriously bad news for your health.
Gout, Uric Acid and Your 5 Year Health Outlook
Uric acid is well-known for its role in the development of gout. It produces solid crystals in your joints that can result in excruciating pain. (Just ask any gout sufferer and they’ll tell how painful this condition can be.)
These same crystals can also form in your kidneys, resulting in painful kidney stones. This is another agonizing condition nobody wants to deal with. Even worse, elevated levels of uric acid are associated with higher rates of chronic kidney disease.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Hyperuricemia is also associated with high blood pressure, the build-up of calcium deposits in the arteries, irregular heartbeat, mental decline and diabetes. In fact, an otherwise healthy person with high levels of uric acid is more likely to develop many of these conditions within only five years.
So while it’s not something you hear much about, it’s just as important as many other health measures that you already keep track of.
And here’s the thing. Not everyone with hyperuricemia experiences gout. So you could have high uric acid levels without experiencing any immediate outward symptoms.
Reduce Uric Acid to Shut Down Gout, Kidney Disease and Heart Problems
If you’ve never had your uric acid levels tested, it would be a good idea to ask your doctor for the simple blood test on your next visit.
But don’t despair if your levels are high. There are several things you can do to bring your uric acid levels down and enjoy a long, healthy and active life.
The first thing I recommend to patients with high uric acid is to reduce their overall meat intake – red and otherwise – to about 13% of their diet or less. Organ meats, red meat and fatty fish are all high in purines, compounds that are broken down into uric acid.
Some vegetables, like asparagus, mushrooms, spinach and cauliflower are pretty high in purines, too. Other foods, including oatmeal, sugary foods and beverages, beer and alcohol, can also raise your uric acid levels.
So if you have high uric acid levels or frequent episodes of gout, these are all foods and beverages you’ll want to avoid. But there are others that you should include more of.
For example, drinking plenty of water is one of the best ways to rid excess uric acid from your body. Aim for at least 10 to 12 glasses a day. (Adding a squirt of fresh lime juice can enhance the effects.)
Cherries and cherry juice extract also have great effects on uric acid. They can lower it in just a few hours. Eating a half pound of Bing cherries daily, or taking two teaspoons of black cherry concentrated added to a cup of water twice a day, will both do the trick.
I also recommend supplementing with 1,500 mg of vitamin C daily. This not only has a significant effect on your uric acid levels, it can also cut your chances of gout by almost half. Adding 500 mg. of quercetin each day can further slash your levels of uric acid.
SOURCES:
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