Vitmain C May Prevent Gout

Gout is a type of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the body.  In December, I wrote about how Diet Can Help Manage Gout.  One dietary treatment mentioned is that vitamin C may be able to help in the prevention or treat of this disease, and a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this week provides more evidence to support this. Researchers looked at nearly 47,000 men and found that those who consumed more vitamin C had a lower risk for gout.  They believe that vitamin C may help to lower uric acid levels in the body, and that every 500 mg increase in Vitamin C can decrease the risk of developing gout by 17%.  In fact, when men consumed 1,500 mg of Vitamin C, they had 45% lower risk of gout than those who consumed less than 250 mg.

The following chart lists some good food sources of vitamin C and their vitamin C content:

Food Vitamin C Content
1 Cup Orange Juice 124 mg
1 Orange 59 mg
1 Cup Cantaloupe 68 mg
1 Papaya 188 mg
1 Yellow Pepper 341 mg
½ Cup Cooked Broccoli 58 mg

Including some of these foods in the diet is a great start to meet your vitamin C needs, but a vitamin C supplement may also be necessary in order to prevent/treat gout.