10 Causes of Gout
Cause #8: Alcohol
Alcohol is a source of purine, which produces uric acid once it is broken down by the body. The consumption of alcohol also increases the metabolism of nucleotides, which is another source of purine that could potentially be converted into uric acid. Another contributing factor would be the effect of alcohol on the rate at which uric acid is excreted, therefore increasing the levels of uric acid in the blood.
It should be noted that not all alcohol has an equal effect on the risk of gout. Regular beer has the highest purine content while spirits have the lowest purine content. Research has found that beer plays a more significant role in the development of gout.
Advertisement
