Grapes are an excellent way for you to treat your gout naturally. They are very effective at helping to lessen the severity of your gout symptoms. When mixed together with other great remedies, they have a cumulative effect and can help you either reduce the frequency of or actually help you get rid of gout in the long run.
The great thing about grapes are they have quite a few different ways they can help you get rid of gout. Some of these include water, quercitin, potassium, vitamin C, and anthocyanins, just to name a few.
Grapes are great natural gout treatments because they contain quercitin. This powerful flavonol reduces swelling. Swelling is the main reason people suffer from gout pain.
This swelling starts when your uric acid levels get out of balance. The extra crystals enter your joints and cause damage and pain. Quercitin helps reduce this swelling.
Grapes are great for helping with hydration. They consist of around 2/3 water. Eating water dense foods help you in fighting gout pain. When you are properly hydrated your body is able to help you eliminate extra uric acid crystals more efficiently.
Potassium is a great component of treating gout pain. Potassium treats this disease by liquefying uric acid. This enables your kidneys to get rid of it more effectively. One serving of grapes will provide you with approximately 5% of the potassium you need on a daily basis. You can help increase this number by adding several more fruits to your diet such as cherries and pineapples. Fruits are a major part of any successful gout therapy program.
One way grapes treat gout is by lowering uric acid levels. They do this through vitamin C. Grapes have quite a bit of vitamin C. Many popular fruits are filled with vitamin C and this is why fruits are such a great antidote to for not only gout, but also your overall health.
A study published in Arthritis and Rheumatism (2005;52:1843-7) found taking Vitamin C during a 2 month period at 500mg per day reduced uric acid levels by approximately 10%. They found vitamin C helps prevent purines from turning into uric acid. Being able to control uric acid is important because most gout patients are unable to keep their levels under control.
Anthocyanins enable grapes to help reduce painful swelling during an acute attack. These flavonoids reduce inflammation and the darker the grape, the greater amount the grapes will contain. So it is preferable to choose a darker grape, although any variety will help you if you do not have access to the best kinds.
Grapes are so important when you are trying to treat gout naturally. However, they are best used when combined with other fruits. Many fruits, such as cherries, contain a lot of these healthy properties that help you get rid of gout pain.