Can Mushrooms Cause Gout?

Mushrooms cause Gout? Here are the facts! Gout is a type of arthritis that is caused by too much uric acid. Uric acid is a waste product that is found naturally in the body and is normally flushed away by the kidneys.

With gout, the body either makes too much uric acid or doesn’t get rid of enough of it. Extra uric acid turns into crystals that can build up in the joints. Most often it affects the joint at the base of the big toe but it can also affect the ankle, knee, foot, hand, wrist and elbow. (The Arthritis Society website)

So what can be done to help manage gout? Your doctor may prescribe a painkiller or other medication (Note: Prescription drugs have limited help and have side effects. Best source, get it from the food you eat). Gout is a metabolic disorder that may be inherited. Losing weight, exercising, staying hydrated (drinking lots of water), eating vegetables (refrain from asparagus, cauliflower, and spinach), withholding alcohol and eating fruits packed with vitamin C may also help prevent gout attacks.

Avoid crash dieting or trying to lose weight very fast by eating very little. Research shows that rapid weight loss can increase the risk of gout attacks. Alcoholic drinks, especially beer should be avoided as it stops uric acid from leaving the body and can trigger gout. (The Arthritis Society website at Gout; Causes, Symptoms and Treatments)

So what about diet and gout? Foods that contain high levels of purine, a substance that when broken down in the body produces uric acid, should be avoided. High levels of purine are found mostly in organ meats, some seafood, fish, and shellfish, alcohol beverages, energy drinks, gravies and broths, and yeast. (Krause’s Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy, 11th Edition, Saunders. Pages 1135-36). Purines aren’t all bad, but you want to avoid high amounts.

Mushrooms do contain a small amount of purine but won’t do anything to move the needle on raising uric acid levels, it’s still relatively low. Remember, almost all foods have purines but it’s the animal proteins or meat that are the real culprits as well as foods that are high in sugar, high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. Remember, dairy milk came from cows by which then can contain an ample amount of purines.

Usually mushrooms are accompanied with meat related dishes and recipes and that is why they get a bad reputation. Eat them in a nutrient-dense vegetarian diet and they will not bother you. Skip the meat!

More Interesting Facts! Mushrooms contain Polysaccharides, known as Beta-D-Glucans (Pleuran), which have been attributed to stimulating your body’s immune system to fight cancer, particularly in fighting breast and prostate cancer cells. These beta-glucans which is a type of carbohydrate, is also a strong anti-inflammatory that helps protect you from gout.

They naturally produce compounds called Statins which reduce “bad cholesterol” (LDL) by stimulating receptors in the liver to clear the cholesterol from the body. With that said, mushrooms help control your weight, which is an important benefit to the gout sufferer. To date there is no evidence that mushrooms cause gout or make your gout worse.

China is the world’s the one producer and consumer of mushrooms. It would be reasonable if there is an epidemic of Uric Acid and Gout problems but you have never heard about it until this day. That said, there is no way mushrooms have caused them.

Bottom-line: We can and should take advantage of using fresh mushrooms for gout! (Spiro Koulouris)