When Rohit came to me for consultation, he was suffering from hyperuricemia- a condition which is associated with high levels of uric acid in the blood. Increased levels of blood uric acid predispose to gouts and very high levels may lead to kidney failure. Uric acid is produced from the natural breakdown of body’s cells and from the foods rich in purines. Thus, in hyperuricemia, purine rich foods are avoided.
Though purines are present in all living things (and food) as they provide part of the chemical structure of our genes, some foods contain concentrated amounts of purines. For the most part, these high-purine foods are also high-protein foods and thus purine restriction gets wrongly translated as protein restriction in most cases.
A detailed discussion around Rohit’s food intake revealed that his diet was very low in protein. He was avoiding all pulses, milk and milk products and meat & eggs. In addition, to that, he was doing one hour of intense workout to reduce weight. He reported muscle soreness, weakness, and cramping which I could easily relate to his visible signs of protein deficiency – sparse hair, pot belly, and swollen hands.
Contrary to the notion that protein is necessary only in growing age, we need protein at every age for normal wear and tear of tissues. Most of the enzymes involved in important metabolic processes are proteins. Thus, like everyone, hyperuricemia patients too need this nutrient in adequate quantities.
Let’s make this complex protein -uric acid connection simpler through this guide on what to include and what not –
Dairy products – Not only do they provide good quality proteins, scientific studies have demonstrated that milk when taken in moderate quantities actually help in reducing and managing gouts. However, fermented milk products such as yogurt, buttermilk, curds and aged cheese have purines from the nucleic acids of the bacterial cells that proliferate during fermentation. They should be avoided. Non-fermented milk products such as cottage cheese, paneer, whey protein can be taken.
Eggs– The yolk of an egg contains the nucleic acids, but the egg white is pure protein without purines.
Nuts – Nuts are naturally low in purines and can be eaten daily by those on a low purine diet. Good sources of low-purine nuts and seeds include walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds and cashew nuts. Keep in mind that nuts are rich in calories, so eating too many of them could cause you to gain weight.
Pulses– Beans and pulses contain low to moderate amount of purines. However, researchers prove that purine from plant sources are less likely to harm and one serving of pulses per day can be safely taken by gout patients.
Meat – Meats including bacon, beef, pork, and lamb; Organ meats, such as brains, heart, kidney, liver, and sweetbreads; anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel, and scallops are high in purine and should be avoided.
Epidemiological research has demonstrated that all purine-containing foods are not the same, and that plant purines are far safer than meat and fish purines in terms of gout risk.
Hope this information helps you meet protein requirements and lead a normal active healthy life on a low purine diet. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.
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it is a good information and congratulation for publishing it
Yes it is very useful for everyone who wants to healthy
This is Informative
Thanks Shyam
Thanks Komilla. Very useful information for those suffering from high blood Uric acid.
Thanks Prajakta
Strongly I say, this article helped me a lot to sharpen my knowledge about uric acid. I helped to clear the myths about the connection between protein and uric acid. My lots of weight loss clients are often confused with protein intake with the uric acid condition. I sincerely thank you.
Too good info…thanks for sharing…
Brilliant article. Thanks for enlightening with the details.
Thanks Sonia
truly this clarity will help to give a proper diet plan for gout patients and have medicine as a precautionary measure
Thanks Neha
Thanks a lot Komilla for the detailed information. I am also suffering from hyperuricemia. My Doctor has suggested me to stay away from all pulses, beans, peas, cabbage, spinach. I am also taking Feburic 40 to reduce the uric acid. Is it safe to have one serving of pulses per day?
Please keep posted… a very informative article
Thanks a ton for this information
Hi..tnx for the information, you describe this in a simple yet effective manner…. Can you suggest a diet for a diabetic patient too?
Very useful information mam.. i want to know more about high uric acid as my mother is suffering frm this problem. Please help
thanks a lot for this information.
Hi Komilla
can you explain what is connection between hyperthyroidism and hyperuricemia ?
Hi Komilla,
I have been in the same condition as you described. I started whey protein (30 gm) per day and 5 egg (3 with yolk & 2 without yolk) daily after intense resistance workout . I took good care of my diet avoiding liquors & Non veg diet. Also I kept eye on pulses i consume. But when I was on business tour, I got an gout attack. At that time, i was not doing workout for a week. Probably because I ate lot of sweets and had other sweet drinks. I am doing a heavy workout and without whey, I am not getting proper recovery. please suggest.
Hi Komilla,
I do my workouts both cardio and weights regularly and take protein in the form of pulses, cottage cheese and beans but at times it still leads to high uric acid and pain in my knee joint.
Can you share your contact details so that I can explain in detail?
Sandeep Chavan
Thanks a lot for increasing knowledge
What about foods such as Bread, Pasta and Rice? White vs. Whole wheat vs. Multi-grains…
Good information I have high Utica acid
What to eat was main concern
Thankyou. KOMILA
Thanks Komilla for providing such a great information. i have high Uric acid can I take whey protein 30-40 grams daily as I am going to gym on regular basis for muscles development
Hello,
I have just gone through your article & apriciated , in context with that, my Uric acid level is btwn 5 – 7 .5 ,
I am going gym regularly, also takin protein shake,but now I have stopped taking protein shake,as my work out is regular I want to maintain req proteins , request you to what type of food is recommended,
Regards