Are Cherries Good for Gout?
If you’ve had gout for any length of time, then most likely you’ve heard of using cherries for gout. Many natural health proponents recommend them, including many naturopathic and kinesiology practitioners. While Socrates said, “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food”, that doesn’t necessarily mean that cherries will treat gout. So, the question remains, are cherries good for gout?
A study performed in 2003 by one of the groups linked to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) seems to indicate that cherries are indeed good for gout. This test was undertaken with the attempt to determine the legitimacy of a separate test in California indicating cherries did help gout pain. This study took subjects who had a history of gout and gave them bing cherries on a daily basis to see what the effects would be. The results showed that eating the bing cherries lowered four of the triggers the body uses to increase inflammation.
The body actually uses inflammation to help “heal” the body. Unfortunately, this increased swelling also causes intense pain in gout patients. So it’s important to control swelling in order to treat gout pain. This study by the USDA was very promising to gout patients.
Cherries are also good for gout because of vitamin C. One serving of cherries provides up to twelve percent of your daily allowance of vitamin C. Studies performed in England demonstrated that vitamin C has the potential to lower blood serum uric acid. This is very important for a gout patient as uric acid is the underlying problem causing a gout attack. Drinking cherry juice concentrate can help increase your vitamin C intake which is why cherry juice concentrate should be a part of your daily gout prevention regimen.
So, are cherries good for gout? I believe cherries are easily one of the best natural gout treatments you can use. Their ability to reduce swelling helps treat gout, while properties such as vitamin C are great for helping prevent gout. Cherries can be a double edged sword in fighting this painful disease.
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