Gout and Oats – There Could Be A Connection
Posted by terrepruitt on March 29, 2012
Seems as if my quest for something to eat for breakfast before teaching my Nia classes has turned into somewhat of a series on oats. I know a body needs to eat to break the fast, but I don’t always have time to eat something before Nia in the morning. I wanted something quick but healthy. Oatmeal is always said to be one of the best breakfast to have, but I don’t like oatmeal. I don’t think eating a processed breakfast or snack bar is the answer I was looking for. I was thinking granola even though I used to not like granola, I have found a few that I like, but most often than not they have canola oil in them so I have been looking for recipes where I can make my own. I found one that I like after I did a little bit of adjusting. The whole process had me wondering about oats and oatmeal. When I did a search of nutrition one of my favorite sites came up with some information on oats I found totally interesting. As usual I learned something totally new to me. I hear a lot more about Gout lately than I used to. And the information about oats and gout had me looking gout up what gout is again. I always forget it is a form of arthritis.
Here is what wiki says about Gout:
“Gout has increased in frequency in recent decades affecting approximately one to two percent of the Western population at some point in their lives. The increase is believed to be due to increasing risk factors in the population, such as metabolic syndrome, longer life expectancy and changes in diet. Gout was historically known as “the disease of kings” or “rich man’s disease”.”
According to PubMed Health there is:
“Gouty arthritis – acute; Gout – acute; Hyperuricemia; Tophaceous gout; Tophi; Podagra; Gout – chronic; Chronic gout; Acute gout; Acute gouty arthritis”
This type of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes joint inflammation. So just like other types of arthritis there can be flare ups. With the different type of gout the flare ups are different. One joint is affected by pain and inflammation in the case of acute gout, but in chronic gout it can be in more than one joint.
While they know what causes gout, they don’t know what causes the cause. Too much uric acid in the synovial fluid causes crystals to form. The crystals are what cause the pain, swelling and inflammation. But they don’t know why a body might make too much uric acid or have difficulty getting rid of it. They have a list of what they consider to be risk factors. Risk factors include: being over weight, consuming too much alcohol, eating too much red meat or fish or foods high in purines. Gout is more common in males than females, although woman after menopause seem to be at greater risk. Certain medications might contribute to gout.
These risk factors could be what contributed to the historical nicknames as probably kings and rich men were more often the ones overweight, drinking too much alcohol, and eating too much red meat and fish.
It is the food high in purines that got my attention. Oats are high in purines. So oats might not be good for people with gout or with high levels of uric acid because they could cause gout. Even though oats are a good source of antioxidants and are believed to help lower cholesterol if you have too much uric acid you might not want to consume them every morning. Another uric acid related health issue is kidney stones. So monitoring your intake of oats, might be prudent if you are prone to high levels of uric acid. Although the site does go onto say that recent research is showing the purines in the meat and the fish are the real culprits in producing too much uric acid contributing to the health issues and that the vegetable/plant purines are not, it still might be a good idea to keep it in mind if your body is prone to gout or kidney stones.
Just another thing that is so great for you, but depending upon your individual body might not be so great. I really believe that our diets are a main factor in our health. It is important to know that even foods that have so many health benefits and are so full of nutrition still could affect your health in a negative way. It really depends on your body. I think it is always a good idea to look at the diet when there are health issues.
Did you know that oats could aggravate gout?
This entry was posted on March 29, 2012 at 11:49 am and is filed under Food, Oats. Tagged: acute gout, arthritis, breakfast bars, chronic gout, gout, granola, healthy breakfast, joint inflammation, joint pain, kidney stones, metabolic syndrome, Nia, Nia class, oatmeal breakfast, oats, purines, uric acid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
31 Responses to “Gout and Oats – There Could Be A Connection”
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Terre Pruitt's Blog 
suzicate said
My dad suffers from gout so I will pass thisi nfo on to him. Thanks.
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terrepruitt said
I would think that many people suffering from gout would be eating oatmeal because we so often hear how good it is for you. But it could contribute to gout flair-ups. Not all doctors think of food as affecting our health (Yup, no need to read that sentence again, it says what you thought and it is true) so they might not even think to ask if the gout-suffer is eating oats.
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Gene said
Haven’t had cereal in years, lest than a week ago,started to Honey Oat cereal, both thumbs and several fingers are swollen,red and very painful,my right ankle is the worst, twice the size and can’t walk on it. Had gout years ago because of mushrooms on a pizza
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terrepruitt said
Oh no! That sounds awful. So did you stop eating the Honey Oat cereal? Mushrooms, huh? Didn’t know they could spur gout! Wow. I LOVE mushrooms!
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Dwight Burke said
Hello Terre! You may have saved the day. My gout has been killing me lately(4 days now). Guess what………I just started back eating “OATMEAL”! I will stop eating it ASAP and see if it helps. Thanking you in adavance from the bottom of my swollen ankles and feet! Dwight
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terrepruitt said
I hope that it helps. Could be any other food that has high levels of purines. But start with the oats. I just learned you had gout from the post on Chorizo. I will say prayers and think healing thoughts for both of you!
Foods with very high purine levels (up to 1,000 mg per 3.5 ounce serving): Anchovies, Brains, Gravies, Kidneys,Liver, Sardines, Sweetbreads
Foods with high and moderately high purine levels (5-100 mg per 3.5 ounch serving): Asparagus, Bacon, Beef, Bluefish, Bouillon, Calf tongue, Carp, Cauliflower, Chicken, Chicken soup, Codfish, Crab, Duck, Goose, Halibut, Ham, Kidney beans, Lamb, Lentils, Lima beans, Lobster, Mushrooms, Mutton, Navy beans, Oatmeal, Oysters, Peas, Perch, Pork, Rabbit, Salmon, Sheep, Shellfish, Snapper, Spinach, Tripe, Trout, Tuna, Turkey, Veal, Venison
from World’s Healthiest Foods
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Nurse Scott said
Healthy life style is always the solution for gouty arthritis and oatmeal is part of a healthy diet, never thought that it could trigger gouty arthritis. Thank you for this information.Treatment of gout requires more than medication, DISCIPLINE is the best cure. If you know you have gout, quit everything that can trigger it. Watch your diet and maintain healthy lifestyle.
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terrepruitt said
I know! People are always encouraged to eat oatmeal because it is considered so healthy, but it COULD contribute to gout symptoms. I don’t know if you read the comments, but one of my readers said he was having a flair up and he had been eating oatmeal. I never heard any follow up . . . but the oatmeal could have been the reason. I think we could all benefite from having nutritionist! 🙂 Thank you for reading and commenting!
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Eilean said
Oh it does. I absentmindedly picked up an oatcake from a cheese platter and nibbled on it as I was being good.
Withing 20 minutes I had a very acute gout flare in my gouty finger. veins tracked white from the tip to the base, joints swollen and red. Took me 3 hours to get it under control. I drank a pint of strong sour cherry infusion.
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terrepruitt said
WOW! Such a fast reaction. Nice that you got it under control in three hours. I mean, it sounds like that was a long time to you, but I know people who suffer from gout symptoms for months. Yay you knowing what to do!
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dani said
i’m trying to eat better and was thinking that oatmeal would be a good “natural” way to lower my cholesterol, but after reading this i think not. i have gout in my left foot caused, not from any food or drink, but because i take a diuretic for hypertension. it took two years for the doctors to find the medication i needed to control my blood pressure so it’s not something i want to stop taking, it does mean that now i have to take another pill to control the excess uric acid. {sigh} i never did eat or drink foods that cause gout and i’m really grateful to you for posting this info about oatmeal!
hope all is well with you!
*Giant Sparkly Squishy Hugs*
♥
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terrepruitt said
Hi Dani!
So nice to see you here.
Well, you never really know until you try it, but I don’t know if you want to go that route. The information did not say that someone eating oats WOULD have gout flair ups it just said it could be a contributing factor. So maybe not, but I also understand if you don’t want to test that theory.
Hugs!
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gout arthritis symptoms said
Awesome blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option?
There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Thanks a lot!
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terrepruitt said
Albert,
I don’t actually have any tips for writers because I am not a writer. I am sure there are thousands of blogs that are writer’s blog and they could give you a million tips. Whether you go for a free site or a paid site depends. Since my blog is to share about Nia and the classes I teach I decided to pay for it and NOT have ads. When I read someone’s blog that has ads it confuses me and distracts from what they are trying to tell me. And if they are trying to sell me then it is overkill – in my opinion to have a blog that is selling with add that are selling. I am sure you will find your way.
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John said
Hi ,
Excellent article.I was just wondering if you can tell me what I can eat as I currently have gout in my left foof (big toe,usual symptons).I am also on holiday.Great time I am having….
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terrepruitt said
Why Hello John,
🙂 Nice to know you are on holiday and having a great time. Eating a lot of rich foods possibly? What you can eat is best discussed with your doctor and/or nutritionist as they will have your full medical history and/or knowledge of your current diet. They will know what medications you are taking and how your diet will interact with them. This article is to help give you an idea of what COULD possibly be going on in your body if you have gout and give you a place to start when talking to your medical professional. Thanks for visiting especially while you are having a great time on your holiday. 😉
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Samita Roy said
Having to know about the factor i’m confused little bit,pls help me to make my breakfast healthy as well as rich in fiber,bcz my hubby has high cholesterol and high uric acid
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terrepruitt said
Samita –
“Healthy” is relative and since your hubby has high cholesterol he may be on drugs that react to certain things. So it is best to discuss his diet with his doctor or nutritionist. And some say that soaking the oats helps with reducing the acid. There are a few other posts regarding oats. 🙂
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Denise McCroskey said
My 81 year old mom suddenly started having severe gout attacks – at least once or twice per week. It was hard for her to tolerate the gout medicine, as some of the drugs cause confusion in the elderly. We could not figure out what was causing the rise in uric acid as she had no history of gout. Then I read your post and others about oatmeal could be bad. Voila! She ate oatmeal every day for breakfast.
Once she cut out oatmeal, the gout attacks left immediately and she has not had one since. Even her doctor did not know the connection between oatmeal and gout!
Thank you!
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terrepruitt said
It is amazing how sometimes food we think is good for us can actually affect our health adversely. I wish we could all have nutritionist instead of doctors. I have a feeling we would be healthier as a society if we all ate to promote health and prevent disease. Many doctor’s don’t recognize the link between health/disease and food.
I am glad your mom is doing better. There are many healthy and yummy breakfast alternatives. What is she eating for breakfast now?
Thank you for sharing!
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Karl Jobst said
Karl Jobst
Gout and Oats – There Could Be A Connection « Terre Pruitt’s Blog
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Lily Joeliani said
My husband and I has gout problem. He discovered first that whenever he eats oatmeal, he has gout flare. I didn’t. However, as of lately, my gout problem is on the rise and I believe one of the reason if because i eat granola (that has oats in it) with almond milk, which they say supposed to be good for your health! I had stopped eating it for a week and my joints are fine. We also take a mixture of apple cider vinegar and honey or apple juice whenever we have flares. Apples help relieving gout symptoms for us.
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terrepruitt said
Lily –
Our bodies are forever changing . . . so what didn’t affect you now does, and who knows, it could go back to not bothering you. A lot of things are good for us and healthy, but it is often times when there is no issue. But if there are “issues” than “healthy” things can be unhealthy. Huh? Oatmeal is good for the body, unless there is gout, then it could be not-so-good. Crazy how it is, huh? Apple Cider Vinegar is good for a lot of things. Good for you for taking it. Thanks for commenting!
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jncthedc said
Thank you for posting this information. Most people don’t eat oatmeal regularly and those that do are less likely to be consumers of high purine diets. Oatmeal is considered a moderate source of purines and therefore should be used less frequently by people prone to purine issues. As a doctor, I learn as much from my patients and the general public as I teach. Thank you for this valuable information.
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terrepruitt said
Funny, I would say most people DO eat oatmeal regularly. There is such a push for oatmeal for breakfast, I thought I was the only one that didn’t eat it. But . . . “most” is a relative term, I guess. Hopefully the post gets the basic message across that IF you have gout AND eat oatmeal, perhaps there is a connection and to check into the consumption of oatmeal.
Thanks, again for reading and commenting. 🙂
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joe said
I have been suffering with gout for 4 years now on and off.I’ve tried eliminating all of the foods they say cause gout but still comes back.just recently read a post about high fructose corn syrup and sugars maybe one of the leading causes of gout.FYI just one more thing to try.I hope this helps
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terrepruitt said
Joe –
I think that High Fructose Corn Syrup could be linked to a lot of health issues. I am not surprised that it is being linked it to gout. Could be that is causes an inflammatory reaction in the body which is a result of gout. I would recommend people try to eliminate it from their diet no matter what (even if they are not having health issues). And sugar . . . well, that is one of those things. It is in everything, in so many different forms. We get too much. So any that you can eliminate is probably wise.
Since you sound as if you are trying to handle the issue by adjusting your diet, perhaps in addition to avoiding foods associated with gout, you might want to try consuming some of the foods thought to help with inflammation. That might help.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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florwena said
My husband suffer in gout we are looking for food to eat for breakfast he is working construction job need breakfast every morning.we are using oameal quaker o
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terrepruitt said
So he is suffering from gout and eating the Quaker Oatmeal? Perhaps something else would be better for him? Can always give it a try and see if his gout improves, huh?
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chicmom2016 said
Thank you! Very important/not well known information
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terrepruitt said
It seems like often we hear something is good for us, but it may not be good for us. We are all individuals and we all have different nutritional needs, huh?
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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