Caffeine May Cause Gout

A bunch of arthritis experts recently met to discuss recent studies conducted regarding gout. Some of the studies showed that caffeine can increase a person’s risk for contracting gout.

Gout is an inflammatory disease similar to arthritis, where uric acid builds up in the joints and tendons causing swelling and pain. Since 1984 reported gout attacks have increased 45% and 8 million Americans were diagnosed with gout in 2008 alone.

Gout Caffeine Studies

One study showed that people who binge on caffeine are more likely to have a gout attack. This means that people who usually have little caffeine daily but occasionally have a lot of caffeine in one day are at risk.

Another study looked at the lifestyles of 79,000 women over a 25 year period and found that women who consumed at least one sugary beverage daily were twice as likely to suffer with gout than women who very rarely drank sugary beverages. This study didn’t list caffeine as a factor, but just the sugar content of the beverage.

What Can We learn From This?

It looks like if you want to reduce your chances of getting gout, caffeine should be consumed at a consistent amount daily instead of binging. Also, choose sugar-free energy drinks or unsweetened coffee and tea as a way to get your caffeine fix without possibly getting a painful gout attack.

Source: World News Report