Purine-Rich Foods are Gout Foods to Avoid - Is Purine Really Bad?

We have often concentrated our attention in the kind of gout foods to avoid. Avoidance of purine-rich food is often touted as the most effective way to prevent the formation of uric crystals that cause gout pains.

Is purine really that bad? In what other ways does purine affect our health? This may come as a surprise to you but the answers are quite alarming.

In our quest to eradicate uric crystals from our body, we are all pumped up with the information that avoiding purine-rich foods will provide the best treatment. Thus, the following information may finally convince you to regulate your purine intake.

The Role of Purine in our Body System

Purine in all of its notoriety among gout sufferers plays quite a significant role in our body system. Purines and its partner pyrimidines are scientifically established as the building blocks of nucleic acids DNA and RNA.

We may know little about DNA and RNA but we are aware that these nucleic acids have something to do with a persons genes. They carry the genetic code or the genetic information of all living organisms. Although there are statements to the effect that not all genetic information can be found in the genetic codes.

Two scientists, Ted Page Ph.D. and Mary Coleman M.D, have established the fact that a common factor among autistic children is an abnormality in their purine and pyrimidine metabolism. This piece of information actually had its beginnings as far back as 30 years ago, but was not intensively pursued because only a few laboratories then performed such tests about DNA and RNA.

Based on the findings of these two doctors, a certain subtype of autism are tested to have high amounts of uric acids in their urine. These group showed autistic symptoms such as disinterest in having social contact, inability to communicate, demonstrating repetitive actions such as toe-walking and hand-flapping gestures, tendencies to self-injure, high sensitivity to auditory receptions, and notable low level of reaction to pain. These symptoms were often alleviated with low purine diets.

What Really Causes Uric Levels to Rise?

The uric acids found in purines are brokendown by an enzyme called uricase. It is said that a deficiency in this very enzyme is the cause why uric acid levels can reach high levels. Hence, the bodys lack of the enzyme uricase is the final culprit why our uric levels increase.

Further researches and tests have shown that vegetarians, manifest low levels of uric acids because of the total absence of meat in their regimen, as well as the abundance of vegetables in their regular diet. Therefore, less meat and more vegetables would be our most ideal dietary considerations.

Other Suggestions to Improve Your Diet

Eliminating protein from meat is not totally suggested because the body also needs some of its nutrients. However, the suggested amount of protein in your diet is a limit of 15% of protein contribution to calories if you are into lean meats and poultry. Our ingestion of animal fat should be maintained at less than 10% while calories from fats as a whole should only be at less than 30%.

Provide more nutrients coming from carbohydrates which we get from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and cereals. Drinking coffee, tea, and chocolate beverages are allowable in moderate levels.

Fruits that are proven to be highly beneficial are tangerines, tomatoes, blueberries, fresh cherries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, and mandarins. There is certainty in countering high uric levels if we eat the following vegetables: red cabbage, parsley, green leafy vegetables, red bell pepper and potato.

Knowing that there is another possible disorder resulting from high uric acid levels, may finally convince us to adhere faithfully in low purine diets. This is to avoid not only gout pains but also the possibility of our genes to carry over genetic codes of autism in our next generation. Purine-rich foods are definitely the gout foods to avoid.

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