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Gout Diet - Soy Not Associated with Hyperuricemia or Gout
Gout Diet - There is no reason for individuals who either have gout or are at risk of developing gout to avoid soyfoods.
Although there is a need for long-term research, on the basis of existing data, there is no reason for individuals who either have gout or are at risk of developing gout to avoid soyfoods.
Soyfoods have long been a part of traditional Asian diets, because they provide plentiful amounts of high-quality protein and have a favorable fatty acid profile. But provocative research also suggests that soyfoods offer health benefits independent of the nutrients they provide, according to researchers from the school of public health at Loma Linda University who published their research in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
One downside of this belief, however, is the widely-held perception among Asian health professionals and the public that soyfoods increase risk of gout and potentially precipitate acute attacks in patients with this disease.
To determine the accuracy of this perception, the researchers reviewed the relevant clinical and epidemiologic data. In addition, background information on the etiology and prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout in Asia was provided by the researchers, along with the results of a small survey of Asian health care professionals about their attitudes toward soyfoods.
“Among the health care professionals who responded to the survey, 95% considered soyfoods to be somewhat or very healthy and nutritious. In contrast, 48% expressed the view that soyfoods are likely to cause gout. However, none of the six epidemiologic studies identified provided any evidence that soy intake was associated with circulating uric acid levels, hyperuricemia, or gout,” the researchers wrote in the study abstract.
“Data from the five human intervention studies evaluated indicate soy protein does elevate serum uric levels, but in response to amounts comparable to Asian intake, the expected rise would almost certainly be clinically irrelevant.”
SourceSoyfoods, Hyperuricemia, and Gout: A Review of the Epidemiologic and Clinical Data [Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition]
