How to Reduce Uric Acid Level Naturally at Home
Key Takeaways
- if not flushed out, uric acid can cause gout, a form of arthritis that forms crystals in joints, which leads to pain
- Instead of relying on expensive uric acid treatment, you can start small by adjusting your food intake and eating health
- While it is possible to address uric acid build-up with these home remedies, you shouldn’t solely rely on them
Living a sedentary life has many ill effects on overall health and among those is having an excess of uric acid in the blood. This condition is called hyperuricemia. The waste product from digesting purine in foods and is usually filtered out by the kidneys. However, if not flushed out, uric acid can cause gout, a form of arthritis that forms crystals in joints, which leads to pain and swelling.
Given that the effects of high uric acid in the body can lead to serious health problems, it is in your best interest to manage it properly. So, how to control uric acid? Here, your best bet is to learn how to reduce uric acid based on your food intake and then move on to the best practices for controlling it. Below are 10 home remedies to help you know how to reduce uric acid levels in your body.
How to Control Uric Acid at Home?
1. Track the Purine Content in Food
Purine is a component of food and uric acid is a natural waste product that is formed when purine is digested. Naturally, your body can filter out this by-product, but it is your responsibility to consume purine-rich foods prudently. This is because too much purine leads to a higher uric acid level in the blood, which can’t be filtered out by the kidneys fast enough. To avoid this, here are the foods that act as major uric acid causes, which you should limit consumption of.
- Organ meat
- Scallops
- Mushrooms
- Green peas
- Turkey
- Pork
- Mutton
- Cauliflower
- Veal
Instead of relying on expensive uric acid treatment, you can start small by adjusting your food intake and eating healthier.
2. Incorporate Cherries into Diet
While you may have to embark on a special uric acid diet, in many cases, you may not be required to take such a drastic approach. If you’re simply looking to learn how to control uric acid then a good option is to eat cherries. These are known to reduce the risk of gout attacks by a significant amount, around 35%, as per a study. Cherries work particularly well when consumed alongside the anti-gout drug allopurinol, and the study found that the cherry-drug duo reduced the risk of an attack by 75%. Cherries are known to reduce uric acid levels and help with inflammation too.
3. Consume High-Fiber Foods
Flushing out the uric acid build-up in your body is a key part of healthy body function. Eating foods that facilitate this process can help you greatly. Foods with high fibre content absorb excess uric acid in the bloodstream and help eliminate it through the kidneys. Typical high-fibre foods that serve such a purpose include:
- Oats
- Apples
- Pears
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Barley
- Oranges
- Strawberries
4. Avoid Sugars in Refined and Processed Foods
Uric acid is commonly linked to the consumption of protein-rich foods, but recent studies have found that sugar may also have a role to play. These are mainly the added sugars to foods, especially fructose. This is most commonly found in processed foods and can lead to a high level of uric acid in the blood. This applies to drinks that have a high concentration of fructose too.
The reason to avoid sugars in refined foods is simple: refined sugars cause blood sugar levels to surge, which results in higher uric acid levels too. So, if you’re looking for a home remedy to curb the symptoms of uric acid, start paying attention to the sugar content in your food. Actively avoid processed foods with refined sugars and you’ll notice uric acid levels drop.
Additional Reading: Vital Benefits of Quitting Sugar5. Drink Green Tea
Green tea’s antioxidant effect is known to have several benefits of green tea on general wellbeing. It was found to inhibit xanthine oxidase activity, an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of xanthine into uric acid, and decrease uric acid production. Overall, green tea has an excellent ability in controlling hyperuricemia, and this is why you should drink it if you are at risk of developing gout.
6. Eat Vegetables and Beans
So when you are looking for how to control uric acid naturally, consuming vegetables will be the most effective suggestion like tomatoes, cucumbers, and broccoli as these are a great way to prevent uric acid build-up in the blood stream. This is due to their alkaline nature, allowing you to maintain the uric acid levels in your blood. To add to that, pinto beans, lentils and sunflower seeds can also be added to your diet plan. Pinto beans are especially good for you as they are rich in folic acid, which is known to reduce uric acid levels naturally.
7. Maintain Normal Insulin Levels
Along with a uric acid test, you should also have your blood sugar levels checked. Whether you’re a diabetic, prediabetic or have no signs of the disease, there is data that links high insulin with uric acid build-up. Here, having too much insulin causes excess uric acid in the body and leads to weight gain as well. Ideally, you want to ensure that your sugar and insulin levels are in check to limit any uric acid build-up whatsoever.
Additional Reading: Normal Blood Sugar Level RangeHow to Control Uric Acid with Vitamin C Supplements
Foods rich in vitamin C are also widely known to help reduce uric acid levels in the blood. Moreover, a study revealed that people taking vitamin C supplements had significantly lower uric acid levels than those who were given a placebo. So, there may be some merit to upping your vitamin C intake to keep gout at bay. However, excess vitamin C in the bloodstream can lead to problems and it best to seek medical advice from a specialist regarding this.While it is possible to address uric acid build-up with these home remedies, you shouldn’t solely rely on them. Gout is a serious disease that can have an immensely negative impact on your life. This is why it is important to get medical care as this ensures that you don’t overlook important signs of declining health.
How to Minimize the Effects of High Uric Acid at Home
1. Keep your Body Weight in Check
Given that gout affects the joints and causes inflammation, it is important to maintain healthy body weight. This way, you reduce the risk of flare-ups and other critical health conditions associated with being over or underweight. Further, being overweight is linked with increased blood uric acid levels.
On the other hand, rapid weight loss due to fasting may also increase the uric acid levels in the blood, making it a bad option to go with if you’re overweight. The ideal solution is to consult a professional who can lay out a long-term and sustainable diet plan that can help you achieve your targets safely.
Another option is to exercise, as daily exercise is important to maintaining health. In this case, not getting enough exercise can cause inflammation and this can lead to high uric acid levels. So, exercising enough can also help keep your levels in check.
2. Add Coffee to Daily Beverages
Research has found that consuming coffee reduces the risk of developing gout. In fact, a study found that women who consumed more than 4 cups of coffee in a day reduced their risk of developing gout by a staggering 57% as compared to those that didn’t drink coffee. Moreover, gout is also known to increase the chances of a person developing cardiovascular disease. Here, coffee was also found to be a helpful solution as a study found that people consuming 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day had the lowest risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Additional Reading: Caffeine Benefits and Side EffectsFind the best online Consultation with our doctors on Bajaj Finserv Health. Locate a rheumatologist near you in minutes, and view doctors’ years of experience, consulting hours, fees, and more before booking an e-consult or in-person appointment. Apart from facilitating appointment booking, Bajaj Finserv Health also offers health plans for your family, medicine reminders, healthcare information, and discounts from select hospitals and clinics.
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