Many of us like to enjoy a glass of red wine every now and then, whether it’s making a meal just that much better or topping an evening off as a refreshing little treat.
However, it is often said that if a person suffers gout then they shouldn’t be drinking wine. Is this true? Is it possible that red wine actually helps with gout?
Well, we’ve got the answers for you. In our guide below, you’ll find all you need to know about gout and the effect that red wine has on it, as well as information on the effects of other types of alcohol on it. Read on!
Can Red Wine Help With Gout?
To start with, let’s deal with the big question up front. In short, the answer is no.
There is absolutely no way that drinking red wine will help with your condition of gout. It won’t make it better and it won’t help it to clear up any faster.
In fact, drinking red wine will increase the likelihood of gout attacks the more you drink it. However, this is actually true of any type of alcohol.
What Is Gout?
So, you may be wondering what gout actually is. Gout is a type of arthritis, which commonly affects people all over the world.
People can identify whether they may have gout by looking out for some of the key symptoms. One of these is sudden, strong jolts of pain in parts of your body – a symptom that will be hard to ignore.
On top of that, your joints may also become more red and begin to swell up and enlarge. This all makes those joints more tender than usual, too, meaning that they’ll be more sensitive and prone to pain.
A key place to look for this joint swelling is in either of your big toes. If you notice it redden and begin to swell, it may be signs of gout.
Many people who suffer it in this area are seized by a hot, fiery sensation in the big toe. It is so tender that even the lightest pressure on it could hurt.
Obviously, your big toes are not the only joints that can be affected, for there are other typical ones: elbows, knees, fingers, wrists, and ankles.
For up to 12 hours, the pain in these areas may be incredibly severe and hard to bear. After that, you will be left with a lingering sense of smaller pain. This can last anywhere from days to weeks.
During this time, you won’t be able to move so easily, because of the affected and pained areas.
It is important that if you think you have gout, with these sudden joint pains, you must go to a doctor. If it isn’t treated, it could get so much worse – and even damage the joints.
The Effect Of Alcohol On Gout
For much of history, depictions of gout would often be linked to wine. More than any other type of alcohol, wine was the type that was most often associated with this disease.
However, in more recent times it has been found that wine is no more strongly a cause than any other type of alcohol. That isn’t to say that they aren’t causes, obviously: they are.
The more you drink any variety of alcohol, the more likely it is that you will have an attack of gout on some level.
This was found to be the case in a scientific year long study in 2015. With over 700 participants being measured, the results found that if a person had more than one drink across 24 hours then their risk of a gout attack increased by 36 percent.
This is by no means a small percentage. On top of this, the serving amounts of the varying types of alcohol differed.
For example, anywhere between two 12 oz. servings of beer and four will increase the risk, while one or two 5 oz. servings of wine will also increase the risk of an attack.
Overall, the recommendation was that people who already have gout should try to avoid drinking alcohol in order to reduce the likelihood of some recurrent attacks of the disease.
This naturally includes wine, so: if you have established gout, drinking red wine will increase the possibility of you having gout attacks.
Even if you don’t have established gout, though, drinking alcohol regularly is not going to help you avoid getting the disease.
Other Ways To Reduce Gout
With that being said, there are a variety of other things that you can do in order to reduce your risk of getting gout, or making your gout worse with more regular attacks.
For one, you should eat more vegetables, as part of a healthier diet. On top of that, consuming low fat dairy products will also help you avoid gout for longer.
However, food and drinks with fructose should be avoided. Fructose makes your body produce more uric acid, which forms crystals around your joints and causes gout.
A healthier diet as a whole will help you, because those with obesity have twice the risk of getting gout.
You should also reduce the amount of purine you’re eating. You may not even know you are eating any, but purine is a substance found in pretty popular foods.
Beef and venison contain it, as well as animal’s liver and tongues, and seafood like shrimp and lobster – among others. Even chicken contains a little purine.
You don’t have to eat none, just make sure that you have smaller portions of meat everyday.
Final Thoughts
Drinking red wine will not help with gout. You should drink in moderation if you wish to reduce the risk of getting the disease.
Hi, my name is Joshua Damie and I am a nutrition coach living in Colorado. Throughout my time in this profession - six years, to be exact - I have seen countless people suffering from health conditions such as digestive issues, skin disorders, heart health, and more.
These people were suffering from various different issues surrounding their ailments, which could be fixed with some professional advice. Luckily, I was able to give them this and help at least some of their troubles fade away.
My wife suffers from many joint issues, and she also feels helpless sometimes at how much they impact her life. The little relief I can give her with my professional advice is unmatched.
The sense of pride I get when I see her pain ease up slightly from my recommendation is the exact reason why I created this website. I want to help others on a wider spectrum, and the internet is the perfect way to do just that.
