The increased uric acid level in the human body is quite a common problem today. This further leads to several health problems, including gout (a type of arthritis caused by the build-up of uric acid crystals), kidney stones and kidney failure at times. The level of uric acid in our body is generally detected through a simple blood test. A new study has further found that the extreme level of uric acid in the blood may also significantly reduce the person’s chance of survival. The findings of the study were published in The European Journal of Internal Medicine.
As per the researchers at the University of Limerick’s School of Medicine, a high level of uric acid can reduce a person’s lifespan by up to 11 years. High level of uric acid further led to serious medical conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and more.
The team surveyed a data of 26,525 people with high uric acid level and the result they found was “quite astonishing”, a report on the website of the University of Limerick read. It was found that the mortality curve of men and women differed from each other.
“For men, the message was quite clear. The median survival was reduced by an average of 9.5 years for men with low levels of serum uric acid (less than 238µmol/L), and 11.7 years for men with elevated SUA levels (greater than 535µmol/L) compared to patients with levels of 357-416µmol/L,” informed lead author, Dr Leonard Browne, PhD, Senior Research Fellow in Biostatistics at the UL School of Medicine.
“Similarly, for women, we found that the median survival was reduced by almost 6 years for those with SUA levels greater than 416µmol/L, compared to women with SUA in the normal range,” he added.
Taking the findings under consideration, we can say that while proper medication as per doctor’s advice is a must to normalise the level of uric acid in the blood, healthy food habit can also help achieve overall fitness.
Further speaking about uric acid issues, Kolkata-based nutritionist Mala Chatterjee recommended omission of purine-rich food from the diet of a person with high uric acid level to lower the level of the same. For the unversed, purine is a chemical compound that breaks into uric acid during the process of digestion. It is easily found in several plant and animal-based foods.
As per Nutritionist Mala Chatterjee’s suggestion, here’re 9 foods one must avoid:
Promoted
- Spinach
- Mushroom
- Red meat
- Prawns
- Tomato
- Moong dal
- Masoor dal
- Soybeans
- Coffee
Bangalore-based Nutritionist Dr Anju Sood additionally recommended, “Drink lots of water to flush out excess uric acid from the body.”
Note: The food recommendations are not part of the study.