Diet For Gout And Fish Oil

What is gout and is there a natural cure? Can a specific diet for gout make much difference? And how do gout and fish oil fit together into the natural solution?

New research from Harvard, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that the right diet for gout can, at the very least, dramatically reduce painful symptoms of inflammation and swelling associated with bouts of gout.

And, at the very best, it can prevent and possibly even reverse the disease.

What is Gout?

The causes of gout are now well known. The disease results from a buildup of excessive uric acid (hyperuricemia) in the body. Uric acid is a waste product formed by the breakdown of purines, which are natural substances found in certain foods.

A tendency towards gout can be hereditary or it can begin as the result of a joint injury, surgery, chemotherapy or even from losing weight on a crash diet.

However, the main cause is overindulgence in rich food and alcohol.

Certain foods, mainly fatty red meats, create excess uric acid that causes gout. Alcohol contributes to the build up of uric acid by interfering with its elimination from the body.

If no lifestyle changes are made, gout will become more frequent, severe or even crippling. However, this can be prevented if the initial attack is taken as a warning signal.

Diet for Gout

Natural prevention and reduction of painful inflammation and swelling associated with gout is possible. Extra pounds put stress on the joints, as well as increasing the risk of hyperuricemia, so it's important to gradually reach and to maintain a healthy weight.

The latest research conducted by the Harvard Medical School and published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that gout risk increased by 21% with each serving of red meat per day and decreased by 50% with two daily servings of low-fat dairy.

Therefore, it's best to dramatically decrease red meat and to increase low-fat dairy.

And since alcohol is also often the cause of gout flare-ups, it should be avoided as much as possible or, even better, eliminated. Instead, to help flush uric acid out of the body, people prone to gout should drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of pure clean water a day.

Dr. Hyon Choi, the lead investigator of the Harvard study, which is the latest, most exhaustive and definitive research on gout, recommends daily supplementation with high quality, full-spectrum omega 3 fish oil fatty acids with EPA, DPA and DHA.

Gout and Fish Oil

Omega 3 fish oil has extremely effective natural anti-inflammatory properties that do not cause the harmful side effects that are associated with anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen, Advil and Motrin and COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra.

Good quality fish oil provides natural relief for gout as well as migraines, psoriasis, depression, heart disease, asthma, prostatitis and many other painful conditions.