Sunday, July 8, 2007

Gout - women can be affected too!

For hundreds of Years Gout or the word "Gout" was frequently considered a disease of aristocratic men such as Henry VIII, this chronic arthritic disease does not discriminate between men and women, but women generally suffer this arthritic disease later in life.
Both are evenly at danger for this traumatic disorder. In fact, the prevalence of gout in postmenopausal women approaches that of men and tends to climb with each decade of living. And what's much, danger factors for gout, including extra weight and higher blood pressure which are related for both sexes and should be modified accordingly with diet and weight reduction.
According to the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego. Gout is characterized by "flares" marked by fierce pain, redness, inflammation, and passion in the affected joint. Typically, symptoms start in the large toe, but gout may affect new joints. It develops after many years of gradual buildup of uric acidic crystals in the joints and surrounding tissues. In the original survey of 10,000 gout-free women who were followed for 24 years, women who were overweight [system mass indicator (BMI) between 25 and 29. 9] had three times the danger of developing gout as their thinner counterparts, the survey showed. Obese women (defined as a BMI of 30 to 34. 9) had a sixfold increased danger of developing gout, and women with a BMI of much than 35 had 10 times the danger of developing gout as their non obese counterparts. High blood force and the consumption of diuretic medicine also increased a woman's chances of developing gout, according to the survey. Diuretics are known to induce uric acidic levels to increase and are frequently prescribed to handle higher blood force.
This married with the factor that post menopausal women are in a high Gout attack element.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Coffee is Friendly to gout

High uric acid levels in the blood are a precursor of gout, the most common inflammatory arthritis in adult men. It is believed that coffee and tea consumption may affect uric acid levels but only one study has been conducted to date.

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A new large-scale study published in the June 2007 issue of Arthritis Care & Research examined the relationship between coffee, tea, caffeine intake, and uric acid levels and found that coffee consumption is associated with lower uric acid levels but that this appears to be due to components other than caffeine.

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world; more than 50 percent of Americans drink it at the average rate of 2 cups per day. Because of this widespread consumption, its potential effects have important implications for public and individual health.

Led by Hyon K. Choi, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, the current study was based on the US Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted between 1988 and 1994. It included over 14 000 men and women at least 20 years old who consented to a medical exam in which blood and urine specimens were obtained.

Coffee and tea consumption were determined based on responses to a food questionnaire that assessed intake over the previous month. Researchers estimated the amount of caffeine per cup of coffee or tea using data from the US Department of Agriculture.

Coffee shuns uric acid
The results suggested that levels of uric acid in the blood significantly decreased with increasing coffee intake, but not with tea intake. In addition, there was no association between total caffeine intake from beverages and uric acid levels.
These results were similar to those found in the only previous study on the topic, which was conducted in Japan. Interestingly, there was an association between decaffeinated coffee consumption and uric acid levels. "

These findings suggest that components of coffee other than caffeine contribute to the observed inverse association between coffee intake and uric acid levels," the researchers state.

A recent study found that coffee was associated with lower C peptide levels (a marker of insulin levels). The researchers in the current study suggest that because there is a strong relationship between insulin resistance and elevated uric acid levels, the decreased insulin levels associated with coffee consumption may lead to lower uric acid levels.

Coffee is also a major source of chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant, which may improve insulin sensitivity. Chlorogenic acid also helps inhibit glucose absorption in the intestine.

In another study decaffeinated coffee seemed to delay intestinal absorption of glucose and increase concentrations of glucagon-like peptide 1, which is well known for its beneficial effects on insulin secretion and action.

The researchers note further that their results could be due to an effect of non-caffeine components found in coffee, which would also explain why coffee affected uric acid levels but tea did not. – (EurekAlert)

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Understanding gout

Gout causes sudden, mostly severe attacks of pain and tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling in some joints, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
It usually affects one joint at a time - often the big toe.



Episodes develop very quickly, and the first episode often occurs at night. Episodes may be caused by drinking too much alcohol, eating too much of certain foods, surgery, sudden illness, crash diets or chemotherapy.

Gout results from a build-up in the body of too much uric acid, which forms crystals that deposit in joints and cause inflammation. Uric acid is a substance that normally forms when the body breaks down waste products called purines.

Men older than 40 are at greatest risk, but it can affect anyone of any age. Women with gout usually develop it after menopause.

Treatment options include diet, medications, and sometimes surgery. – (HealthDayNews)

Monday, May 7, 2007

gouty

gout guy