Comments on: Growing Gout Problem Linked to Sweet Drinks

By: Gaelgal

Gaelgal — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:59:06 +0000

I am not sure what I am experiencing is gout – but it could be… I do’nt drink soda – only water or sometimes put an ounce or so of cherry or pomegranate juice and coffee…

I need to lose a little weight, but not really obese….

I’ve been staying away from the grains… and I’m not a big sugar person…

and I really don’t eat a ton of pork -

I did have surgery in February and they used propofol for the anesthetic, which I heard can trigger gout, but how long would it last?

My right big toe was so sore, it kept me up half the night a week or so ago – I feel it ache a little, but it hasn’t been incapacitating…

any advice on a cure?

Thanks!

By: Mark VII

Mark VII — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:06:12 +0000

… And fat people eat a lot of sugar. The study abstract said they gave questionnaires to gout victims about their food and there was an association with sugar and soft drink consumption. Association means correlation, not causation. Causation is obesity. Sugar and obesity are associated also. Gout and eating foods with red packaging is also associated. This study is silly, and shows what happens when M.D.s start to think they’re epidemiologists. They don’t know what they’re doing, and they should go back to treating the gout symptoms, which is what they’re trained for.

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:33:54 +0000

The interpretation of the study isn’t just about soda. It’s about sugar (in its many forms) in general. The sugar content of drinks such as soda is enormous, and it’s one key piece.

By: Mark VII

Mark VII — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:37:08 +0000

By the way, gout is associated with obesity. Drinking soda is associated with obesity. Skinny people are less like to drink soda. Isn’t that all there is here?

If you can drink soda and stay thin, no gout.

By: Mark VII

Mark VII — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:34:14 +0000

Men who drink less than one soda a month? Who the heck is that? Any study that draws conclusions from such a small, self-selected subset of the population is meaningless. Guys who drink no soda are just plain _weird_, and probably have many other unusual habits and dietary patterns, which may be why they don’t get gout.

These studies suggest that if you change the one thing — give up soda — your chances of gout will decrease. But they haven’t proven that, and any interpretation of the study that says they have is sloppy.

By: Sue

Sue — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:21:13 +0000

Loren Cordain wrote a great article on gout. Worth a read:
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/newsletter/newsletters/PDN_Vol2No4.pdf

By: dan

dan — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:38:01 +0000

I guess it’s a good thing that I imbibe huge amounts of aspartame, then. Haha. And that I avoid high fructose corn syrup.

I may get some terrible cancer, but I sure won’t get gout! =)