A good quality plant-based diet reduces gout risk

A healthy plant-based diet is associated with a reduced risk for gout in new research published in JAMA Network Open. But an unhealthy plant-based diet was associated with a higher risk.

Gout is a painful form of arthritis caused by uric acid crystals that form in and around the joints. The most common type of inflammatory arthritis, gout is more common in men and we are more likely to get it as we age.

Data was analysed from 122,679 women and men aged around 51 years old. The researchers divided the adults into groups based on their diets. Over time, more than 2,700 of the group developed gout. The team found that:

• Eating a plant-based diet that did not differentiate between healthy and unhealthy plant foods was not linked to gout
• An unhealthy plant-based diet was linked to a higher risk for gout especially for women. Fruit juices, sugary drinks and fish increased risk of gout.
• A higher intake of a healthy plant-based diet was linked to a lower risk for gout. This includes whole grains, coffee, tea and dairy products.

Dr Sharan Rai comments that  “these findings support current dietary recommendations to increase consumption of healthy plant foods while lowering intake of less healthy plant foods to mitigate gout risk.”

What are wholegrains?

Whole grains are grains that contain all three essential parts of the grain kernel. These are:

1. The bran (fibre-rich outer layer)
2. The germ (nutrient-packed inner segment)
3. The endosperm (central starchy part)

Examples include wheat (including whole wheat products bread and pasta), oats, brown rice, quinoa, rye and bulgur.

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