Foods To Skip When You Have Gout

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Alcohol

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Alcoholic beverages, such as beer and hard liquor, can increase your risk of gout and recurring attacks. Beer is not only high in purines, but excessive drinking makes it difficult for your kidneys to get rid of uric acid. This is because your body prioritizes removing alcohol from your system over removing uric acid, letting the chemical compound accumulate and form crystals that will bring about a flare-up. One study found that drinking one to two alcoholic beverages, particularly beer and distilled spirits, per day increased the risk of developing gout by 36%. Drinking two to four alcoholic beverages per day increased the risk by 51%.

Doctors recommend drinking in moderation, limiting consumption to two beers or a shot of hard liquor a day, and abstaining altogether when you are experiencing a gout attack. Wine is a good alternative if you want to unwind. It’s lower in purine content by comparison, and moderate consumption of wine does not appear to increase the risk of gout flare-ups.