Causes of gout
Gout is caused by high blood levels of uric acid that crystallize and form painful deposits in the joints. Traditional thinking tells us that gout is the result of excessive amounts of alcohol, protein, heavy foods, coffee and soft drinks in your diet. These foods cause uric acid levels to rise. Other foods that increase uric acid are anchovies, asparagus, legumes, mushrooms, meat, organ meat, and shellfish. Reduction in consumption of these foods is very often successful in reducing or eliminating gout.
While gout is a hereditary metabolic disorder in some people, usually something else actually causes uric acid levels to rise and trigger gout attacks. With approximately one million people suffering from gout, it is certainly a fairly common ailment. However, with understanding of its causes you can eliminate those painful attacks.
Food allergies may lead to gout. When people who are sensitive to certain foods eliminate them from their diet many find that their gout goes away, too.
Gout is more common in overweight people. Nearly half of the people with gout are at least 15% above their recommended weight. As mentioned below, dieting can trigger gout attacks.
Some other causes:
• Stress raises uric acid levels
• Surgery
• Injury
• Candida or use of antibiotics
• Vitamin deficiency, especially B5, A and E
• Chemotherapy - uric acid is released in extreme amounts due to the cellular destruction.
• Hypothyroidism is often involved with gout. See our Thyroid section for more information.
• A drop in barometric pressure may trigger an attack.
• Kidney failure may make it more difficult to rid the body of uric acid, thereby triggering gout.
• Diseases such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and psoriasis are associated with gout.
While traditional thinking is that certain foods cause gout, recent research, however, indicates that lead poisoning may be another possible cause. The lead poisoning makes the aldosterone system insensitive to potassium concentration and increases the potassium content of the blood. A potassium deficiency can increase urate levels in the blood. Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex (part of the adrenal gland) that is important in the control of blood pressure and the regulation of sodium and potassium concentration. It would be very interesting for us to know how many people with gout have high blood pressure. To test for lead poisoning you can either have a hair analysis or a heavy metals blood test done. Possibly the best way to test lead levels is to have an EDTA mobilization test done. If the results indicate that you are high in lead (or other heavy metals) a heavy metals detoxification clay bath may be helpful.
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