What Types of Foods To Avoid With Gout And Kidney Disease?

  • Spet 27, 2021
  • 15 min to read
Diabetic-Kidney-Diseases-wetogether-care

Patients diagnosed with gout and kidney disease often have to follow a restricted diet to keep their health in check. More often than not, it becomes tedious to keep a check on the items that one is allowed to consume and the others that may cause detrimental effects to their health. For gout patients, being highly cautious about what they consume and how much is highly essential to avoid the onset of kidney disease. To help you understand diet restrictions better, this blog will discuss foods that patients with gout and kidney disease must avoid to ensure staying healthy.

What are Purines, and why do they matter?

Purines refer to chemical compounds that get broken down to uric acid once metabolized. Purines can be composed by the human body or be absorbed from the foods we consume.

Ideally, a healthy person with good metabolic activity will break down purines into uric acid, which is then dissolved in the bloodstream, passed through the renal system to be eliminated from the body through urine.

However, when a person has gout, complications arise when their kidneys can’t get rid of the uric acid quickly enough or when an increased amount of uric acid is produced. As these uric acid levels rise higher, it can cause hyperuricemia. This condition is not a disease per se but can be dangerous if it increases the development of uric acid crystals. Gout can aggravate when these crystals grow around the joints, causing pain, inflammation, and difficulty in movement.

What foods should be avoided?

As seen above, hyperuricemia can be caused by foods if the diet is not monitored carefully. Hence, patients need to take care of what they eat. Gout and kidney-friendly diets can control uric acid levels and prevent any further damage. According to the American College of Rheumatology, foods with a substantial amount of the ingredients mentioned below can aggravate gout and kidney disease:

  1. Seafood
  2. Red meats
  3. Sugary drinks
  4. Alcoholic drinks

All of these ingredients have high levels of purine.

Food items to limit:

  1. Organ-based meats, such as brain, heart, sweetbreads kidney, or liver
  2. Turkey
  3. Bacon
  4. Lamb
  5. Herring, smelt, anchovies, and sardines
  6. Venison
  7. Fishes like mackerel, trout, tuna, codfish, or haddock.
  8. Mussels or scallops
  9. Yeast-rich foods
  10. Soda
  11. Beer, liquor, and wine
  12. Fruit juice
  13. White bread
  14. Cakes
  15. Candies
  16. Pasta made with refined flour

If you wish to add some animal-based protein to your meals, we recommend moderation and refrain from adding large servings of purine-rich meat protein. An ideal portion of meat and fish for an adult is 3 and 4 ounces, respectively.

How do animal proteins impact gout and kidney disease?

Animal proteins have a high level of purine, which is not suitable for your kidneys. When diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the kidneys do not function optimally to filter out wastes from the body. When one is a kidney disease patient, their kidneys fail to filter out uric acid completely. Too much uric acid in the body may cause gout. On the other hand, having gout first can also lead to Chronic Kidney disease.

How do alcoholic drinks impact gout and kidney disease?

Alcohol can hinder the flushing of uric acid by the kidneys owing to the quantity of purine in alcoholic drinks. Usually, purines are broken down into uric acid and get removed. However, consuming a lot of alcohol can interrupt the healthy functioning of the kidneys and trigger uric acid crystals to form, triggering gout and kidney disease.

To prevent getting a gout attack or kidney failure:

  • Avoid drinking alcohol when suffering from a gout attack
  • Consume wine in reasonable limit.
  • Avoid drinking beer if you have already been diagnosed with gout or Chronic Kidney disease.

How does sugar impact gout or kidney disease?

Fructose and sugary treats can trigger the worsening of gout since they have high calories, which can lead to obesity- one of the causes of gout.

Additionally, even though fructose-rich drinks don’t contain high amounts of purines, one of the byproducts of fructose breakdown is uric acid. Studies show that consuming large amounts of fructose could spike the level of uric acid in the blood.

To balance out sugar intake even in moderation, we advise patients to increase their daily water intake while kicking soft drinks and aerated drinks to the curb. No matter how enticing they are, sugary desserts and beverages are not healthy in general.

Wrapping Up:

Integrating your meals into a gout and kidney disease-oriented diet is an excellent opportunity for patients to nourish their bodies with ingredients that help improve renal function and metabolic activity. One can make room for healthier food and components, which will help in the long run. Since there is no known treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease, moving to lighter and nutrient-rich products like plant-based proteins or low-fat dairy items will help you feel energized and healthier.