How To Prevent Gout as a Cause of Foot Pain
Gout is caused by having too much uric acid in your body, which builds up in your joints. Your body produces uric acid when it processes purines in certain foods, and you can have gout when you drink too much alcohol. Your kidneys help regulate uric acid levels, but if they malfunction, you can also develop gout.
Other risk factors of gout, which can also worsen the problem, include injury, obesity, joint surgery, and infection. Based on that, we can conclude with a few recommendations to prevent gout. If you want to avoid this problem or reduce the frequency and severity of gout flare-ups in the future, here’s what you need to do:
- Eat a diet adapted for gout patients: Gout is a disease caused by a buildup of uric acid in your body, and uric acid is produced by purines, which are found in foods. But some foods contain more purines than others, and gout patients should avoid high-purine foods such as organ meats, anchovies, sardines, shellfish, beef, and other red meats. The best gout diet is the Mediterranean diet: This diet includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, and olive oil. It also includes moderate amounts of poultry, dairy, and wine, but you should limit yourself to no more than one glass of wine per day and avoid other sources of alcohol altogether if you have gout.
- Drink plenty of water: Gout patients should drink plenty of water to help flush uric acid from their bodies. Water can also prevent dehydration, which can be a problem for gout patients, especially if they take prescription pain medication.
- Get regular exercise: Exercise can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol and also reduce stress, which can trigger gout flares. Moderate-intensity activity for 30 minutes to an hour daily, like brisk walking, can help you meet these goals.
- Follow your medications: If you are diagnosed with gout, you will be prescribed drugs such as allopurinol (Zyloprim). Gout is usually treated with urate-lowering therapy, which reduces the amount of uric acid in the body. This is typically done using a xanthine oxidase inhibitor or a uricosuric agent. Either way, you should consider this treatment a way to prevent future gout episodes. Following the schedule recommended by your doctor will reduce the severity and frequency of future gout episodes.
- Keep a healthy weight: Being overweight can put extra stress on your joints and increase the risk of developing gout. And if you already have the problem, it will trigger more frequent gout attacks.
- Get more vitamin D: Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is essential for maintaining healthy bones. Getting enough vitamin D from sunlight can help you meet this goal, and it is also known to reduce uric acid levels in the blood.