Got gout? Cherries may help.

I recently enjoyed a quiet evening at home, with a light dinner of shrimp cocktail with a side of canapes with fresh garden lettuce and herbs (more in DocOnFood). I could not prevent thinking of my many patients who call me with complain of gouty swollen big toe, and after a few rounds of questions they finally admit that they had a gout attack provoked by a leisurely meal of seafood, shrimp included. Shrimp are loaded in purines that when digested by humans produce a lot of uric acid which is responsible for gout and gout flares. We do not have uricase, the enzyme that helps to reduce uric acid to soluble allantoin, which then can be excreted by kidneys. There is many reasons why any of us can be afflicted by gout, but the more common reasons are male sex, certain medicines, like diuretics, metabolic dearangements and obestiy among others. So what is the connection between shrimp and cherries one might ask?There is quite an interest expressed by my patients in natural remedies to prevent and fight gout attacks. Even my dentist shared with me story that will weave well into this post: one day she woke up with a nasty gout attack in the foot, she barely drove to grocery store, got a bag of cherries that she consumed on way to work when her attack was much eased, possibly due to cherries. Cherries have a uric acid lowering effect, according to some animal studies, along with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action of anthocyanin abundant in the fruit.