Uric acid (urate) is made in the body during metabolism, passed out in urine and faeces, and usually harmless. In gout, the blood levels of uric acid build up until tiny, grit-like crystals form, which collect in a joint causing inflammation, swelling and pain – a gout attack.
Inexplicably, some people with high uric acid levels don’t form crystals, while some with normal levels get gout. Generally, high levels increase the risk.
A normal, balanced diet shouldn’t affect uric acid level but purine-rich foods, including some seafood, meats and certain vegetables and dried beans, as well as alcohol, are all metabolised into uric acid and can trigger an attack.
Other risk factors include medicines, such as certain diuretics, aspirin and chemotherapy medicines, and illnesses with rapid cell turnover, such as…
