Your opinions on Uric Acid blood readings?

[goodsamaritan]

I'm no fan of blood work.
But a friend is concerned about Uric acid.
What is this all about in relation to a raw paleo diet?
Aren't we immune to this kind of issue simply because we are raw?
Aren't our readings supposed to be out of whack with the common cooked food masses?

[Hannibal]

Aren't we immune to this kind of issue simply because we are raw?

I don't think so.
Lex has said quite a lot about this issue in his journal.

[RawZi]

    Can't uric acid work for us like ascorbic acid works for some non-paleo people?  What uric acid problems is your friend experiencing?

[goodsamaritan]

I helped my friend get on a raw paleo diet.

- Everything in his body has healed: hemmorhoids, acne, back pain, wrinkles, eye retina surgery

(but he likes to see bloodwork)

- His bloodwork shows all Cholesterol Levels super improved (from the medical view)

- But he says his Uric Acid went sky high (from the medical view)

Here is his blog post http://vitrectomydiary.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/day-thirty-eight-on-the-road-to-recovery-the-surprising-results-of-my-raw-diet/

URIC ACID now:

444.16 umol/L (range is 202.30 ~ 416.50)
7.51 mg/dl (range is 3.42 ~ 7.04)

I was thinking about the nuts and the juicing which caused this, not the meat.

[Rawdietforhealth]

Actually my uric spiked from 446 to 552 or from 7.5 to 9.2.  The normal medical range is 4-7 and over 8 is considered quite high and has resulted in gout symptoms over time in the past for me.

[ForTheHunt]

Actually my uric spiked from 446 to 552 or from 7.5 to 9.2.  The normal medical range is 4-7 and over 8 is considered quite high and has resulted in gout symptoms over time in the past for me.

That is indeed quite troubling. You might want to send an email to Aajonus. I think the email is optimal@earthlink.com I think he charges like 30$ but I'm sure he has the answer to this.

Although according to research milk helps prevent gout, so I'm sure that as big of fan of milk he is, he will probably tell you to get some milk.

I'm not sure though, if a filippino should drink milk.

[Rawdietforhealth]

Getting good quality raw milk is difficult when you live in a city and ate often on the road eating in airports and hotels.  It looks like increasing vegetable juices is the best answer to deal with the acid.  Anyone ele with suggestions?

[Iguana]

That is indeed quite troubling. You might want to send an email to Aajonus. I think the email is optimal@earthlink.com I think he charges like 30$ but I'm sure he has the answer to this.

Or you can PM to our member GCB, I think he knows as well and will probably answer free of charge.

I'm not sure though, if a filippino should drink milk.

Yes, I'm not sure neither!

[RawZi]

I was thinking about the nuts and the juicing which caused this, not the meat.

    Is there a health reason he's eating nuts?  Might seeds work better?  What did he juice?  Was it a twin gear type juicer?

The normal medical range is 4-7 and over 8 is considered quite high and has resulted in gout symptoms over time in the past for me.

    Did you get the gout symptoms while practicing raw paleo diet?  Have you tried cherries for gout?  Do you eat white meat or red?  Do you use salt?  Do you cook your meat at all?

[RawZi]

Although according to research milk helps prevent gout, so I'm sure that as big of fan of milk he is, he will probably tell you to get some milk.

    I would like to see the research.  I might think that eating fermented raw kidneys might work instead.

[raw]

    I would like to see the research.  I might think that eating fermented raw kidneys might work instead.

I don't mind to try that raw fermented kidney.

[RawZi]

I don't mind to try that raw fermented kidney.

    They're good!  They taste .. salty.. I don't know why, as there's no salt added, and they didn't taste salty before I fermented those very same ones.  

    You know what?  My ankles were swollen, and then I ate them, and the swelling completely disappeared (physically no more appearance but I don't know how far it corrected).  I could hardly believe how well it disappeared.  That never happens on my ankles, but then I never ate fermented kidney before.  

    My ankles started swelling two decades ago, while I was vegan.  Not blaming veganism, just included that in case there's someone new reading who doesn't know my history.

[raw]

You know what?  My ankles were swollen, and then I ate them, and the swelling completely disappeared (physically no more appearance but I don't know how far it corrected).  I could hardly believe how well it disappeared.  That never happens on my ankles, but then I never ate fermented kidney before.  

This is interesting. I had an issue with my tonsils that get infected every couple of months when I was on traditional Indian diet (about 10 yrs ago eating mostly healthy Indian food). After that I usually don't get this trouble until I started to eat exclusively Raw Paleo Diet. Now I get this severe tonsils swelling and pain every single month and even now I'm having this severe pain. This is the only thing I'm dealing with after my RPD. Do you have any suggestion? Should I try some raw fermented kidney to see ? I need to make them fermented soon.

[goodsamaritan]

AAJONUS ON GOUT:


GOUT is a condition in which volatile substances (e.g., uric acid)
collects in the blood and around the joints, causing swelling, especially
in the fingers and toes. Gout occurs in people who can handle very
little, if any, uric acid. Cooked and processed meats produce
tremendous amounts of volatile toxins; avoid cooked and processed
meats.

Eating plenty of raw meat with raw fat, however, helps remove the
saturation of volatile toxins and strengthens the body. Eating raw fresh
tomatoes, pineapple and melons, and drinking raw fresh carrot juice
mixed with other raw fresh vegetable juices alkalize, cleanse and
soothe this condition. See Alkalizing food, page 178.

---------

BTW, rawdietforhealth is American Caucasian, he just lives in the Philippines.


---------

Nuts cause Uric Acid increase:

http://www.goutpal.com/foods-that-reduce-uric-acid.html

[miles]

Nuts cause Uric Acid increase:

I didn't see this in the link. If anything it said the opposite.

I've read something like that humans have a gene which allows them to handle uric acid from meat without gout, but lack the gene which allows them to handle uric acid from fructose without gout, whereas omnivorous primates have genes for both.

[PaleoPhil]

@GS: Gary Taubes has written about how fructose increases uric acid, not just meat protein: http://blog.zeroinginonhealth.com/2009/05/26/gout-the-conclusion/. It sounds like your friend is eating both fruit juice and meat. If Taubes is correct, then both could be contributing to his high uric acid levels. I consume water rather than fruit or veggie juices myself and haven't had any gout symptoms despite heavy intake of raw meats.

[Rawdietforhealth]

Thanks for the advice, I made a few changes to my diet and the uric acid levels dropped below 7 and are within normal ranges.  I took the advice from several of you and it was helpful.  I increased my raw fish consumption and slightly reduced red meat from 750 grams a day to around 500 grams a day. I cut out nuts and ate pumpkin seeds as a snack between meals.  I also ate pineapple and more tomatoes and drank more carrot juice and increased my water intake with a bit of local lime juice.

[PaleoPhil]

Interestingly, limes, pineapples and melons are considered low in fructose and tomatoes and carrots low-to-moderate:

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/digestive-health/nutrition/low-fructose-diet.pdf
http://www.naturaleater.com/questions/Fruit-Fructose-Tables.pdf

[bharminder]

Cranberries are known for their ability to clean uric acid, urea, and purines from the bladder, kidneys, liver, and prostrate. Consider eating them in abundance whenever you can to lower uric acid levels that may be caused from eating lots of meat.

[Rawdietforhealth]

Thanks for the tip.  It is difficult to source fresh cranberries in the Philippines but I can get dried ones.  Are they effective as well?

[KD]

Cranberries are known for their ability to clean uric acid, urea, and purines from the bladder, kidneys, liver, and prostrate. Consider eating them in abundance whenever you can to lower uric acid levels that may be caused from eating lots of meat.

heh, I eat some funky stuff and can't seem to eat more than a few cranberries without retching or having a irritating taste in my mouth...I probably need to get a blender or something, i'm instinctively drawn away from this medicine. 

[bharminder]

Yeah, dried ones are ok too. But they are usually combined with sugar, oil, etc for taste reasons. So I don't recommend the dried ones with sugar in it because I don't think that added sugar is healthy.


Yeah I don't eat the cranberries whole. Usually I blend some with some bananas or juice a few with a green juice.

[RawZi]

... Now I get this severe tonsils swelling and pain every single month and even now I'm having this severe pain. This is the only thing I'm dealing with after my RPD. Do you have any suggestion? Should I try some raw fermented kidney to see ? I need to make them fermented soon.

    I'm not sure if kidneys would be the best thing for this.  If you do eat them, make sure they weren't frozen before.  Maybe fresh fermented thymus?  I'm thinking if you're not drinking RACV with honey and lemon on those mornings, you should start that.  When do you get it.  As PMS?

AAJONUS ON GOUT:


... Eating plenty of raw meat with raw fat, however, helps remove the
saturation of volatile toxins and strengthens the body. ...
---------

Nuts cause Uric Acid increase:

http://www.goutpal.com/foods-that-reduce-uric-acid.html

    I agree.  Raw meat doesn't cause gout.  Now take some frozen offal, and you'll get a problem!

[Rawdietforhealth]

In the US now so I got some fresh cranberries to eat, thanks for the advice!

[laap]

Hi,

I started experimenting with paleo about a month ago; I think I was very strict paleo for two weeks and have been about 80% paleo ever since then.  About half of my meat and fish I eat raw (if you include marinated as raw) and maybe 1/4 of my vegetables.  Anyway it is way too soon to tell what effect this is having, if any, on most of my health issues.  But one thing is dramatic: my gout has gone away!  I'm really excited about that.  I attribute it simply to giving up sugar and white flour.  I don't even have to be completely strict about that.  I included honey in my first few days of paleo before giving that up, and in the last two weeks have cheated twice with very dark chocolate and once, I am ashamed to admit, with a really crappy slice of cake that just happened to be sitting on a buffet table at a moment when I had a sugar craving.  But still, a month ago I basically went from eating 50% good food to eating around 90% good food, and my gout went away. 

As for cherries, they never did very much when I was eating "normally", although of course it is always possible that they made things a little less bad!