Comments on: Gout attack from coffee http://www.goutdietblog.com/archives/217 Diet for gout Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:32:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Malia Berthelette http://www.goutdietblog.com/archives/217#comment-552 Malia Berthelette Sat, 08 Sep 2007 14:35:56 +0000 http://www.goutdietblog.com/archives/217#comment-552 I have been able to identify one potential trigger for me over the last few days. I'd gone off chocolate for the last two weeks, and the redness and the twinges of pain in my left great toe joint dissipated. Unfortunately for my left foot, I went on a bit of a binge on Friday and Saturday and had four chocolate bars, two coca colas, and a couple of bags of chips. The redness is back, and so are the little twinges of pain. Now there may have been something else involved, but I also recently began testing for blood sugar and seriously reducing refined sugar consumption on the advice of my doctor after my last checkup. It seems I may be back in type II diabetes territory, as my endocrine system is no longer regulating my blood sugar levels well. It also seems reasonable that there could be a connection between potential type II diabetes and gout for me, as I mentioned in a prior post. Perhaps the combination of sugar and caffeine together have a potent effect on the level of uric acid in my system. Anyway, I had luckily already begun toning down my sugar laden diet and increasing exercise prior to seeing the doc, so perhaps these will continue to have a positive effect . . . I have been able to identify one potential trigger for me over the last few days. I’d gone off chocolate for the last two weeks, and the redness and the twinges of pain in my left great toe joint dissipated. Unfortunately for my left foot, I went on a bit of a binge on Friday and Saturday and had four chocolate bars, two coca colas, and a couple of bags of chips. The redness is back, and so are the little twinges of pain.

Now there may have been something else involved, but I also recently began testing for blood sugar and seriously reducing refined sugar consumption on the advice of my doctor after my last checkup. It seems I may be back in type II diabetes territory, as my endocrine system is no longer regulating my blood sugar levels well.

It also seems reasonable that there could be a connection between potential type II diabetes and gout for me, as I mentioned in a prior post. Perhaps the combination of sugar and caffeine together have a potent effect on the level of uric acid in my system.

Anyway, I had luckily already begun toning down my sugar laden diet and increasing exercise prior to seeing the doc, so perhaps these will continue to have a positive effect . . .

]]> By: Sabina Shamel http://www.goutdietblog.com/archives/217#comment-553 Sabina Shamel Sun, 09 Sep 2007 08:05:36 +0000 http://www.goutdietblog.com/archives/217#comment-553 I had an attack that lasted for about 4 months, off and on. I wouldhave two to three clear days and then weeks of limping around. Oncelebrex and an occasional culcichine, not yet on alloppurinol andfinally I did go on allopurinol during a 3 day break in the attack. At that time I was drinking 3 to 6 cups of coffee a day. I posted on quitting -that is down to one half a day in the morningnow and -bingo-from the day I quit till now, about 6 weeks now, Ihave been pain free. I have had a few mini attacks from a few dayswhen I have slipped to three cups, sometimes I just forget, but mytoes keep me posted on the progress. I find that I can drink decaffinated coffee with no resultingproblem. I read about, and searched the web for stuff about coffee and itspossible relationship to gout and it is interesting to me that thereis little solid data that proves that there is a relationship.However, the homeopathic literature, literature that I usuallyignore, always lists coffee at the top of the offending substances. If you look at the structure of cafene and compare it to thestructure of uric acid, you will find that cafene is uric acid thathas three extra and very active groups attached to it. Literally thebackbone of uric acid and cafene are identical. Cafene does not breakdown into uric acid but my theory is that since it is a much morereactive chemical than uric acid and since the body must reactimmediately to cafene, it-that is cafene, probably occupies the siteon the enzyme that is used to transport uric acid across the kidneybarrier and when cafene is there, uric acid cannot be moved. Mostenzymes-all that I have read about in fact, act and react on specificshapes of molecules. Uric acid and cafene have exactly the sameshape on about 2/3 of the molecule so that it is reasonable that itmight blolck uric acid from the receptor site. I do not know that this is the mechanism, nor have I read anywherethat this is what is going on. Moreover, I don't have to read aboutit to be absolutely certain that if I increase my coffee intake to 3cups a day, I get gout. I love my coffee but I fear gout more so Ilimit myself to 1/2. I had an attack that lasted for about 4 months, off and on. I wouldhave two to three clear days and then weeks of limping around. Oncelebrex and an occasional culcichine, not yet on alloppurinol andfinally I did go on allopurinol during a 3 day break in the attack.

At that time I was drinking 3 to 6 cups of coffee a day.

I posted on quitting -that is down to one half a day in the morningnow and -bingo-from the day I quit till now, about 6 weeks now, Ihave been pain free. I have had a few mini attacks from a few dayswhen I have slipped to three cups, sometimes I just forget, but mytoes keep me posted on the progress.

I find that I can drink decaffinated coffee with no resultingproblem.

I read about, and searched the web for stuff about coffee and itspossible relationship to gout and it is interesting to me that thereis little solid data that proves that there is a relationship.However, the homeopathic literature, literature that I usuallyignore, always lists coffee at the top of the offending substances.

If you look at the structure of cafene and compare it to thestructure of uric acid, you will find that cafene is uric acid thathas three extra and very active groups attached to it. Literally thebackbone of uric acid and cafene are identical. Cafene does not breakdown into uric acid but my theory is that since it is a much morereactive chemical than uric acid and since the body must reactimmediately to cafene, it-that is cafene, probably occupies the siteon the enzyme that is used to transport uric acid across the kidneybarrier and when cafene is there, uric acid cannot be moved. Mostenzymes-all that I have read about in fact, act and react on specificshapes of molecules. Uric acid and cafene have exactly the sameshape on about 2/3 of the molecule so that it is reasonable that itmight blolck uric acid from the receptor site.

I do not know that this is the mechanism, nor have I read anywherethat this is what is going on. Moreover, I don’t have to read aboutit to be absolutely certain that if I increase my coffee intake to 3cups a day, I get gout. I love my coffee but I fear gout more so Ilimit myself to 1/2.

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