Gout risk due to fasting and diuretic diets

Gout risk due to fasting and diuretic diets

07/11/2011

Fasting and dieting with diuretics increases the risk of gout disease. The Association of German Rheumatologists therefore warned against uncontrolled fasting and the additional intake of diuretics.

Fasting and dieting are enjoying increasing popularity not least because of the widespread desire to lose weight. Often sufferers tend to uncontrolled fasting or dieting with so-called diuretics to achieve faster effects on weight loss. But this increases the risk of gout disease massively, warned the professional association of German rheumatologists in a recent press release.

In particular, the use of so-called diuretics, which should accelerate the elutriation of water from the human body to allow in this way a faster weight loss, is to be regarded with concern by the Association of German Rheumatologists with care. Because this changes the solubility of uric acid, with an increase in uric acid concentration is a possible consequence. In addition, the protein storage is reduced by the accompanying fasting, whereby the uric acid levels continue to increase, the experts report. All factors mentioned favor the occurrence of a gout attack according to the professional association of German Rheumatologists. Therefore, experts strongly advise against uncontrolled fasting and the use of diuretics and instead recommend reducing excess weight slowly; H. at most two to three kilos per month. However, according to the experts, the initial weight of the willing to lose weight must always be taken into account.

As a so-called purine metabolic disease, gout (uricopathy) is a sporadic disease that can cause considerable pain and severe inflammation due to deposits of uric acid crystals (urate) in the tissues and joints. In addition, long-term damage to the kidney, which in the worst case in a kidney failure (kidney failure) can end. The acute gout attacks are characterized by severe pain, extreme sensitivity to touch, redness, swelling and overheating of the joints noticeable. Relatively often, the joints of the big toes are affected, but also the leg joints are often the starting point of the gout attack, said the experts of the professional association of German rheumatologists. Although gout is usually a typical male disease, younger women are more likely to be affected by uncontrolled fasting and the use of diuretics for faster weight loss. Therefore, the risk of gout should by no means be neglected in the desire to lose weight, warn the experts of the professional association of German rheumatologists. (Fp)

Picture: birgitH