Uric acid is produced by the body after consumption of foods containing purine. Meats, alcoholic beverages, legumes and some vegetables contain purine. While increased uric acid levels are usually harmless, excessive levels of uric acid in the body may lead to gout or kidney failure.
Description
The body produces uric acid, a waste, during the breakdown of purine, an organic compound found in many foods and drinks including beer, wine, beans, peas, sardines and liver. Uric acid is carried within the blood and passes through the kidneys before it is eliminated in urine.
Hyperuricemia
High uric acids levels may not be harmful, but excessive concentration of uric acid in the blood results in hyperuricemia, or high uric acid levels. This can lead to gout, kidney stones or kidney failure.
Drinks that Increase Uric Acid
Alcoholic beverages, particularly beer and wine, increase uric acid in the body. Caffeinated beverages such as teas, coffee, sodas and beverages sweetened with corn syrup may also increase uric acid levels.
Foods that Increase Uric Acid
All organ meats, beef including beef broth, poultry including chicken and turkey broths and gravies, processed meats such as bacon and sausages, game meats, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, scallops, herring, legumes including all beans and lentils, oatmeal, wheat germ, wheat bran, peas, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus and cauliflower increase uric acid within the body. Yeast, which can be found in some breads and corn syrup and which is found in many processed foods, also increases uric acid.
Other Considerations
Drugs including alcohol, aspirin and caffeine can affect uric acid levels. Drugs that increase the level of uric acid in the body include alcohol, ascorbic acid, aspirin, caffeine, cisplatin, diazoxide, diruretics, epinephrine, ethambutol, levodopa, methyldopa, nicotinic acid, phenothiazines and theophylline. On the other hand, the following drugs decrease the level of uric acid: allopurinol, azathioprine, clofibrate, corticosteroids, estrogen, glucose, guaifenesin, mannitol, probenecid and warfarin.
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