How Vegetables Affect Uric Acid | The Acid Drop

Unfortunately, there is still so much old-school information out there about Uric acid, mostly derived from the science surrounding gout. We know that purines, the breakdown products of DNA and RNA, do contribute to uric acid in the human body. That said, for many years, doctors were telling people to not consume vegetables that are high in purines for fear of raising their uric acid if that was a problem for them.

The great news is that we now know that these very helpful vegetables are actually associate with a lower uric acid level!

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[willsocome]

I read your book and in May I went on a vegetarian diet to aid in lowering my uric acid. I followed your instructions and purchased all the supplements you recommend in the book, taking them every day for two months. Stopped taking Allopurinol (100 mg 1 tablet daily) in March (before I started your supplements). Gave a copy of your book to my so called doctor, he wasn't impressed (of course). I have now dealt with uric acid for years (I monitor my blood daily, uric acid, ketones, glucose, blood pressure and body fat) for years. I decreased my weight from 255 to 220 (my goal is 180 or 15% body fat) I had the worst gout attack in my life in lasting June, July and August 2022 ( attacked my left toe, my right knee, ankle and foot and lower back and my right wrist) I still have pain in my right foot and am on my forth dose of Colchicine (20 tablets in ten days) to rid my foot of the crystals. My uric acid stayed between 8 - 10 mg /dl while I was taking the supplements you recommended. I realize being on a keto diet and fasting can increase uric acid (plus exercise) but not to this extent. I had a full blood analysis to see if my liver or kidneys are operating correctly and they are (did this myself through Quest Labs). I am hoping this last dose of Colchicine will eliminate the crystals left in my foot. Don't eat any foods with purines (no meat, fish). Stopped eating sugar in any form ten years ago, never eat junk food or fast food. Just letting people know one person battle.

[arnise]

I wish my grandmother was still Alive, she was the best doctor without ever going to school for it. Her huge garden was amazing and we never got sick. She liked to see 103 yrs old and I should have paid more attention. I’m happy I found this channel.

[mygundidntdoit]

You make some good points. Around 15 years ago when I got pre diabetes, I started doing some research. I looked at all the health problems that my great grandparents, grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and mother have or had, and they all seemed to start at around middle age. The elevated uric acid, insulin resistance, high BP etc. along with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in old age. I figured out we have an ATP7B copper binding gene defect. There are over 400 mutations that have been discovered so far, and most of them are only partial gene defects where only part of the 6 binding exons are defective, which causes a gradual buildup over time. I had my free copper tested and it was 4 times normal and my Mother's free copper was even higher since she is 30 years older. I found a study on chickens where they fed half of them copper, and the ones given copper all had higher uric acid. When you mentioned those vegetables high in purines don't elevate uric acid, it makes me wonder if it's not the purines, but copper that is raising the uric acid, since those veggies mentioned are all low in copper? In my mother's case asparagus which as you know is high in purines, will raise her uric acid, and it's also high in copper. Organ meats, lobster, shrimp, and mushrooms are also high in copper and will also cause her gout flares. Back when the genome was mapped and free copper was discovered, 2 scientists tested the blood of people with T2 diabetics, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Schizophrenics, and ALS, and found they all had elevated free copper levels. They applied for a usage patent to treat these conditions with ammonium tetrathiomolybdate, but the fda never approved it. Their theory was that the free copper gradually built up over a lifetime, and their brain was protected from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS, but as they got older their BBB deteriorated and became permeable allowing the toxic free copper to enter their brain. In Schizophrenics they hypothesized that the person was born with a defective BBB and this ATP7B gene defect. It doesn't seem like there is an awareness of this free copper. It was only recently that lab corp in Oklahoma started offering the direct measurement of free copper test, after I requested it. Before that I was doing an indirect measurement of free copper which wasn't as accurate. An interesting thing I found out during my research was that allopurinol also lowers copper. After learning about this, and also reading the study where the chickens fed copper had elevated uric acid, it led me to believe copper is causing elevated uric acid in some people. Then I ran onto another study which showed elevated copper was an activator of the oxidation of xanthine to uric acid. That high fructose corn syrup thing you discovered is definitely another thing causing high uric acid and metabolic syndrome. I never thought of that until seeing your research. Thanks for sharing this great information.

[chuckbecker]

Your book [ Acid Drop ] rescued me. Everyone should discover it regardless of whether they any maladies or not.

[tanyakilbane]

I just finished your book, DROP ACID!
I will encourage everyone I know to read this book!
I will leave it in my kitchen, reading it over and over like my health bible.
I hope everyone buys a copy and shares it with loved ones!
Have a book club party, or offer potluck with friends!
This one is a keeper!

[chazwyman]

It is interesting to reflect that it is often combinations of constituents that make the difference. I was always puzzled why meat was always targeted for uric acid due to purines, when I knew that all living things have DNA. On my low carb journey I've stopped 3 different medications but have not yet grasped the nettle of dropping Allopurinol, but Richard Johnson's work has given me hope that I no longer need this med, because I no longer consume sugar, flour or other concentrated carbs.

[JoyJJ]

I feel good eating vegetables along with my low carb meals. When I took them out for 30 days...my body felt awful.

[jefjaeger]

I saw no mention of asparagus, which would often set my gout off like crazy. Also my favorite vegetable (frustrating). Since I have cut way down on sugar and done intermittent fasting (lost 25 pounds over about 2 months), I have no issues with gout any longer. If I eat a bunch of stuff now that used to set off my gout, I sometimes get the feeling in my big toe that gout is starting to happen, but it never goes past 'that initial feeling' anymore. That feeling used to be scary...

[pamelahall]

According to Dr. Royal Lee, foods high in potassium are protective against gout, such as raw leafy vegetables, raw vegetables, juices, potatoes and beans. And Quercetin is good for gout, and is found in Elderflower, green tea, red grapes, onions, yogurt, lima beans, mushrooms (all very high in potassium), kale, avocado, salmon, bananas, cantaloupe, tomatoes and sweet potatoes.

[hommerdalor]

When I was under dialysis, I had gout in the ankles and knees, one side, for about one month, than it was gone for some time, and than it was the other side :-( with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, gerkins, as I didn’t eat much, it was easy to find out, I also found out that I was cow lactose intolerant, by suppressing foods one by one, I found out every food making me sick.
Milk and cheese were the last I suppressed, at the end all I had was pure steak, 1/4 pound or 100gram per day.
That was in 2016, 2 years where needed to find the poisons giving me gout. Since 2018, I’m gout free.
I had a new kidney in 2019, 6 month later, I had worst pain than gout, from lower back to the little toe, I was able to walk a little, I had big pain when seated, driving the car was a nightmare, laying flat was the only solution. Again, I suppressed all food, but it remaind the same. I had all sorts of tests radiography, magnetic resonance, appointments with specialists. The only solution found was to go for a hip replacement, I had that done the other side, when I had my first transplant in 1998.
You can imagine that I didn’t went out much, and one day, I was out of statines, lipitor, but still had enought other medication to not reject my kidney, cellcept, advagraft, medrol, those are mandatory if I want to live.
After a few days, I couldn’t believe it, the pain was less, more time past, little by little I felt better, so I didn’t swallow statins anymore.
I told the doc that I stoped statins, he said I can’t stop, statins can not have that effect, so, I obeyed, 2 days later, the pain was back.
The next month, visit to doc, the pain was not completely gone, again, he tells me I need lipitor. I ask for something else with the same effect, the doc says ok, he prescribe another medication, I forgot the name. 2 days later the pain came back, when reading the notice, I see it’s statins again. Now 2023 I take meds based on walnut leaves wich don’t lower my cholesterol, but statins didn’t either.
I’m almost pain free, my legs are still weak, everyday I fight to get better.
What can we do? Hope, resist, fight
About lactose intolerance.
The smallest quantity of anything containing cow milk begun to make me sick when I did dialysis, my digestion stoped, a few minutes after exposition, I had heart burns, and nothing else would go passed my stomach, all food stayed there rotting.
I didn’t know it was because of lactose, I tought it was because of dialysis, I had to puke to feel better, sometimes 3 x a day, sometimes, no problem. 🤔
My teeth where melting with the vomit. 🤢 it’s disgusting, sorry.
Since I learned lactase exist, but if my body doesn’t want cow lactose, I prefer not to have it, but sometimes there is some lactose contamination on the food, I take some lactase, and I’m fine.
I insisted on cow lactose, because, goat or sheep lactose doesn’t cause me any trouble.
All that to say everyone is different, the doctors can guide, but you must find what is best for yourself.
It’s not easy, for example, I’m sure one of my anti reject medication is giving me high cholesterol, but I can’t stop to take it, or my body will reject the kidney, and dialysis is very bad, barely enough to stay alive.
If you know someone needing dialysis, go help, it’s hard. Even if it’s not visible from the outside everything is hard for those patients, even transplanted it’s still hard.

[wdmadsen]

Thank you for clearing up confusion. We need good information not bad.

[Gwaithmir]

I recently ordered this book from Amazon.

[martyp]

I’m so frustrated!! Trying to eat gluten free, low oxalate, low purine...lower oxalate veggies are higher in purine? Eating carnivore is difficult trying to keep purine levels low...what do we eat? 😢

[chuckbecker]

I had to stop all fruit except just 1/2 cup of berries [[ switch it up every day ]] and 1/2 cup of dark or tart cherries daily. Now I love this ambrosia as daily routine and never miss any of the other fruits at all.

[BrowncoatBlue]

Great update! Are there any similar studies recently, where organ meat is looked at? Thanks Dr P!

[Nellis]

Well this is just great, and getting stranger all the time.
I’m told sardines and anchovies are good for you because of their omega-3 benefits.
Now they’re rich in purines which will not only give me gout but also Alzheimer’s.

[orlenecharles]

This is ridiculous! What are you supposed to eat? No dairy, no meat, no sugar, no carbs, no gluten, no soy. Good grief now vegetables?

[Noegzit]

David Perlmutter used exactly the right term: associated. Maybe he should have remind us what does "associated" really means.
So high in purines vegetables consumption is associated with lower levels of uric acid in blood. Fine.
But from this study we can't say if these vegetables tend to reduce uric acid levels when they are regularly eaten. That's just an hypothesis we need to verify with an interventional study.
We can't say either if having low levels of acid uric in our blood makes us eat more broccoli. Looks ridiculous? No, it is an hypothesis as valid and as uncertain as the first alternative considering only the results of the study.
Observational studies in nutrition can't prove much especially when they are based on such unreliable data than those coming from food frequency questionnaires.
They can only show associations. They can't show cause and effect relationships nor a way to relationships.

What's sure is that, generally, people eating a lot of vegetables (rich or not in purines) tend to drink less alcohol and less sugary drinks. They also tend to eat less sugary foods.
So it is quite possible that the reduced levels of uric acid for people eating vegetables should be more the consequence of lesser sugar/fructose intakes rather than the result of the activity of some polyphenol present in these vegetables.

[mikeallen]

I'm taking all the supplements recommended in your book and following all the eating advice in your book. How long should it take to lower UA to, say, 6, if I started at 8? Roughly. I'd like to see a video showing average results of this protocol you are recommending.

[chazwyman]

Given what we now know about fructose and the Uric acid metabolic switch, is the purine hypothesis still viable?