Vitamin D and Gout – A Health Guide

When uric acid levels rise that is the cause of purines being broken down in the body.

When uric acid levels get too high for a person to handle, he or she will start feeling pain in their joints, which happens to be gout flare ups.

It is usually recommended that we take multiple vitamins to take care of our bodies and with regular consumption of vitamins gout attacks can be reduced to a minimum.

How about Vitamin D in particular? What benefits does this vitamin have on a person’s situation with gout? Are there any links between Vitamin D and gout?

What to know about Vitamin D

While you can get an abundance of Vitamin D is various foods and drinks, the sun itself is actually a great source of this vitamin as well.

If the body receives regular exposure to sunlight, which is the case for people who live in tropical areas, then there will be no threat of having a Vitamin D deficiency.

The maintaining of bone strength is linked with Vitamin D intake. A lack of Vitamin D can lead to conditions like osteoporosis.

As people age their skin cannot synthesize Vitamin D as efficiently as they did when they were younger.

One good thing about consuming Vitamin D is that not only does it promote bone strength, but also muscle strength.

Having strong muscles can allow for strong and healthy joints, so that is one link between Vitamin D and gout.

If you have strong muscles surrounding otherwise ailing joints, the movements of your joints will get much needed support.

A recent study that recorded over 100,000 reports of people who have side effects when taking this vitamin.

One of the more interesting statistics from this study would be the amount of time people with gout had taken Vitamin D.

All 100% of people in the study had taken Vitamin D anywhere from 5 to 10 years. Another interesting stat is that over 75% of these people were over the age of 60.

Top conditions that were involved in this study ended up being high blood pressure (20.73%) and rheumatoid arthritis (13.99%), both of which can contribute to gout attacks.

There was a study on the possibility of Vitamin D intake leading to the lowering of uric acid on kidney and blood vessel function.

This study targeted those who had conditions such as renal function, endothelial function, high blood pressure or obesity.

Researchers concluded that Vitamin D supplementation had no effect on the kidney functioning activities or the blood pressure of people with Vitamin D deficiencies.

An intriguing Chinese study in 2010 concluded that a Vitamin D insufficiency was significantly associated with raised uric acid levels.

1,726 women of ages older than 30 years were tested. Raised uric acid levels turned out to be more prevalent in postmenopausal women that had a Vitamin D insufficiency compared to those that didn’t.

Researchers discovered that Vitamin D insufficiency was found in chronic kidney diseases. The largest part of secreted uric acid was reabsorbed and sent back to the bloodstream, which is typically a problem for gout-sufferers.

Vitamin D and calcium work together to promote strong bone health in the human body. If you are looking for a diet that includes plenty of these vitamins then you might want to go easy on the coffee.

The caffeine content that is in the coffee is the main reason why you should stay away from drinking it if you want more Vitamin D intake.

About 5 milligrams of calcium is lost per 150 milligrams of caffeine that is consumed. Caffeine also decreases the amount of calcium that is absorbed through intestines and reduces the amount retained by the bones.

Vitamin D receptors are also inhibited by caffeine, which means that bones will be less likely strengthen.

Milk – Obvious Source of Vitamin D

One of the main bridges between Vitamin D and gout would be milk. Milk is by far the most obvious source of Vitamin D that can be consumed.

However, depending on how your body is conditioned you may not be able to drink any kind of milk. Some people who suffer from gout are also lactose intolerant.

In cow’s milk alone the Vitamin D content can range from 98 to 127 International Units (by conversion 1 International Unit amounts to 0.125 milligrams of cholecalciferol or ergocalciferol).

The best types of milk gout-sufferers can consume are low and nonfat milks, and also milk-related products such as yogurt.

According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center these choices are good for a low-purine gout diet.

However, it is also recommended that gout-sufferers avoid whole milk and all dairy products that are full-fat, such as cream, sour cream, ice cream and regular cheese.

Soups, cream gravies and sauces that are high-fat milk-based should also be cut from your gout diet.

Even if you are still hesitant to drink any kind of milk, there are some ways to alleviate your concerns, and mainly that is to mix milk with other substances.

For example mixing milk with juices that come from healthy fruits like grapes, and also adding some apple cider vinegar on the side would create a drink that supports your body.

If you plan on making a smoothie using milk as an ingredient, it would also help to include 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed.

Vitamin D Supplements – Not Recommended

There is a clear difference between genuine intake of Vitamin D and artificial intake.

Genuine intake of this vitamin includes getting plenty of exposure to sunlight, which can reduce a person’s risk of cancer and heart disease, according to Dr. John McDougall.

However, scientific research indicates that artificial intake can lead to a raised risk of developing prostate cancer in men.

It is suggested that a lack of sunlight can also lead to other conditions being developed like Multiple Sclerosis and cardiovascular disease, the latter of which can be referenced as an enabler of gout attacks.

Dr. McDougall also provided an update to confirm that treating people with only Vitamin D supplements just doesn’t work.

The benefits of these supplements can only be felt at the extremes of need. Separate studies conducted in Britain and Australia revealed that a 26 to 50% increase in bone fractures were the results of artificial Vitamin D supplementation.

A randomized study conducted in 2015 may convince you that Vitamin D supplements are not worth purchasing.

This clinical trial observed the effectiveness of exercise training and Vitamin D supplementation for reducing falls in 409 elderly women in Finland, ages 70 to 80.

Neither intervention changed the overall rate of falls for the better. Fall rates per 100 person-years were 113.1 with Vitamin D and exercise and 132.1 with Vitamin D and no exercise.

Conclusion

There are legitimate links between Vitamin D and gout, and the lengths that intake of this vitamin could go for your body can be very beneficial.

By consuming foods and drinks that contain Vitamin D you will give your body the chance to develop strong bones and muscles, and especially when you need to protect your body from gout flare ups.

With strengthened bones and muscles you give your joints a necessary cushion to not allow nearly as many gout attacks as before.

When you deal with gout your joints can feel pain from all angles, including pain that comes from a lack of Vitamin D absorption.

When incorporating Vitamin D into your gout diet it is best to keep your options organic and not artificial like supplements.

References:
1. https://www.healthclop.com/vitamin-d-gout-link/
2. https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/vitamin-d/gout/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5477221/
4. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/sep/vd.htm
5. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2015nl/mar/150300.pdf
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621974/
7. http://www.milkfacts.info/Nutrition%20Facts/Nutrient%20Content.htm
8. https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-convert-5000-IU-of-Vitamin-D-to-mg
9. https://www.sciencealert.com/vitamin-d-tablets-may-be-worse-for-you-then-nothing-at-all
10. https://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/neither-vitamin-d-nor-exercise-affected-fall-rates-among-older-women-in-finland/

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