Cherries! Yummy and good for your gout diet.
When the summer comes one of our favorite fruits, ever, is the cherries. These little, juicy, and tasty fruits are notoriously favorite, giving you the real taste of the summer. They appear in thousands of decorations, books, recipes, and paintings.
The great news for the gout patients is that there are several studies, who give the cherries quite a good rating as a goutbye remedy. An example:
- In a research study from 20111, there were some indicators that tart cherry juice, taken on a daily basis (~220ml. per day) can significantly reduce the levels of uric acid in the body.
- Another one, from the year 20122, that is much more comprehensive than the other studies on the topic found that consuming at least 10 cherries per day reduced the risk of gout attacks by 35 percent. A combination of cherries and allopurinol reduced the risk of gout attacks by 75 percent.
According to the above study, the secret power of the cherries to reduce uric acid is due to their color! And before you slam this claim as ridiculous, see, they contain anthocyanins, which gives them their sweet color. Anthocyanins are also found in other fruits, such as blueberries (no studies on the effect of those, though), and are considered as a natural anti-inflammatory agent.
The only disadvantage is, of course, the limited time of the year when the cherries are available. But hey, even these are considered one of the best natural fruit remedies, you can still play it out during the winter using pineapples instead.
How to use. The above is considered to fresh fruit, and you shall always have in mind that we talk in our articles for moderate usage – e.g. a portion per day shall be considered around 250ml of tart cherry juice or a handful of cherries.
Important. Drinking cherry juice that is packed, conserved, or might have added sugar / fructose-glucose syrup will have the reverse effect. If you have uric acid reduction medication prescribed like the aforementioned allopurinol, the intake of cherries would not be able to fully replace it. Never use any of the drugs discussed in our articles without a prescription from your doctor.
References to this article:
1) The effect of 100% tart cherry juice on serum uric acid levels, biomarkers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk factors (fasebj.25.1_supplement.339.2)
2) Cherry Consumption and the Risk of Recurrent Gout Attacks (PMID: 23023818, DOI: 10.1002/art.34677)