Vitamin C & Gout

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner many people may be partaking in adult beverages and eating traditional Irish foods like corn beef and cabbage. However, those prone to gout should watch both their alcohol consumption and their diet. Gout flair ups can be induced by foods containing purines. Ingestion of foods high in purines can raise uric acid levels in the blood and precipitate gout attacks in some people.* Purines are part of all human tissue and found in many foods. The excess can be caused by either an over-production of uric acid by the body or the under-elimination of uric acid by the kidneys.

According to findings published in the new issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine vitamin C may reduce levels of uric acid in the blood, thereby preventing the formation of the urate crystal. Vitmain C would increase the speed at which the kidneys work or protect against inflammation, both of which may reduce gout risk. According to the US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, gout occurs in 8.4 of every 1,000 people and is most prevalent in men over the age of 40. Hyon Choi, lead researcher at Boston University School of Medicine, evaluated the vitamin C intake from both dietary and supplements for 46,994 men. During 20 years of follow-up, 1,317 cases of gout were documented.

The risk of gout decreased 17% for the men with a vitamin C intake between 500 to 999 mg/day compared to the men who had a vitamin C intake of less than 250 mg/day. The risk of gout decreased by 34% for men with an intake of 1,000 to 1,499 mg/day of vitamin C and 45% for men with intakes over 1,500 mg/day of vitamin C.

Vitamin C can be found in Viteyes AREDS formulas as well as Viteyes Complete.

*H.K. Choi, X. Gao, G. Curhan. Archives of Internal Medicine. “Vitamin C Intake and the Risk of Gout in Men: A Prospective Study” 2009, Volume 169, Issue 5, Pages 502-507.