Can gout drink coffee?

Coffee is one of the most consumed drinks in the world, and the relationship between coffee and gout has always been very confusing. The caffeine in coffee can be converted into purine, leading to an increase in uric acid, so in theory, people with gout cannot drink coffee. However, surprisingly, a number of studies at home and abroad have proved that coffee is good for gout.

What is the specific mechanism of coffee to prevent gout attacks?

The role of coffee in preventing gout seems to have nothing to do with caffeine intake, because decaffeinated coffee can achieve a similar effect, presumably for the following reasons:

(1) Acid-base balance it is well known that coffee is a natural alkaline drink, and regular drinking is conducive to acid-base balance in the body.

(2) Sodium excretion coffee has a little-known function, that is, to expel excess sodium ions from the body, and sodium is an important substance in the formation of gout, which has always been ignored in the past, thinking that gout is excessive uric acid. In fact, this is only part of the reason. High uric acid alone will not form gout. In general, uric acid exists in the body in a free form. Only when uric acid reaches saturation concentration in the blood and combines with excess sodium ions in the body to form bound uric acid, that is, sodium urate crystals, and deposited in the joint cavity, subcutaneous and blood vessels, pain will occur and gout will be formed. Reducing the excess sodium ions in the body can reduce the occurrence, development and recurrence of gout, so the sodium excretion of coffee plays a very important role in the prevention and treatment of gout.

(3) the reduction of purine uric acid is produced by purine metabolism, the premise of high uric acid is high purine, and there are two sources of purine, one is diet, accounting for 20%, and the other is cell metabolism and death, accounting for 80%. It is medically believed that uric acid is the product of cellular catabolism. Modern people produce a large number of oxidative metabolites due to changes in dietary structure, living environment and mental stress. These products are toxic to cells, resulting in shortened cell life, premature senescence and premature death, release a large amount of adenine and guanine, and eventually degrade to uric acid. Coffee is rich in plant polyphenols-coffee polyphenols. On the one hand, coffee polyphenols can improve cell permeability, reduce intracellular oxidative metabolites, prolong cell life, thus reduce the production of endogenous purines and coordinate the production and excretion of uric acid. On the other hand, coffee polyphenols are easy to bind to proteins and purines in food and are excreted in this form, thus reducing the excessive absorption and utilization of proteins and purines in food and reducing the production of uric acid. coffee polyphenols can also induce the increase of uric acid decomposing enzymes and promote the decomposition of acid toxins. Finally, coffee polyphenols can stimulate renal vasodilation and increase renal blood flow, thus increasing renal filtration rate and promoting the smooth excretion of uric acid from urine.

(4) lowering insulin coffee lowers the level of insulin in the blood, and previous studies have shown that an increase in insulin can lead to an increase in uric acid, eventually causing gout.

However, people usually add sugar and cream when drinking coffee, which is not conducive to the control of weight and blood lipids. At the same time, coffee has an exciting effect. Drinking it at night will affect sleep, and poor rest is also a factor leading to gout attacks. Therefore, people with gout are not recommended to drink a lot of coffee at night. If you want to get the benefits of coffee, you should drink more than 4 cups of coffee a day, it is recommended to make it light, forbid espresso, and do not add sugar and coffee companions.

Therefore, whether patients with gout can drink coffee, pay attention to time and method, and adopt the right way to drink at the right time is helpful to prevent gout.