Cherries for gout

To understand the question of whether it is possible to eat cherries with gout, which has been discussed for several years by both doctors and patients, it is necessary to at least in general terms dwell on two most important points - the metabolism of organic acids in the body, as well as the relationship between diet for gout and acid-base homeostasis (pH level).

This is really important because high levels of uric acid in the blood (hyperuricemia) are a prerequisite for the development of gout and are inversely related to the pH level: the lower it is, the higher the uric acid level in the blood serum can be.

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Cherry for gout - a source of organic acids

To increase the body's pH level - that is, to reduce the acidity of physiological fluids, including blood - you need to eat accordingly: minimize the protein part of the diet. Nutritionists also claim that in order to avoid increasing the acidity of the internal environment, you need to eat more products with organic acids. These acids are converted into alkalizing factors during the digestive process.

And here the benefits of cherries for gout are beyond doubt. Cherry fruits are a valuable source of organic acids. There are almost 2% of them in cherry pulp; these are malic, citric (citrate), tartaric, succinic (promotes regeneration processes), as well as quinic, shikimic, glyceric and glycolic acids. Ascorbic acid, i.e. vitamin C, is taken into account separately, and there is 10 mg of it in 100 g of cherries.

By the way, physiologists and nutritionists have been arguing for many years about the so-called alkalization of blood, which is especially relevant for people suffering from gout. According to the basics of physiology, what you eat or drink has very little effect on the pH of the blood. The level of its acidity in a healthy person is “automatically” regulated by a complex biochemical system. And in blood with normal acidity (pH 7.34-7.45), there are oxyacids (citrate, isocitrate, oxaloacetate, 2-oxoglutaric, fumaric, etc.), which provide the most important process of amino acid metabolism, as well as alpha-ketopropionic (pyruvic) acid and a purine derivative - uric acid.

At the same time, the opinion of nutritionists is also not unfounded, and any food affects the general state of health. It is enough to leaf through the book by the American nutritionist T. Baroody "Alkalinize or Die" (Dr. Theodore A. Baroody "Alkalinize or Die"), published in the early 1990s.

True, due to the action of the body's natural regulatory mechanisms (which do not require a special diet for normal functioning), the alkalizing effect that cherries have on gout, consumed 80-100 g per day, is minimal and short-lived.

Scientists explain this by the fact that the liver absorbs organic acids: it sends unnecessary and excess ones to the kidneys (for final utilization and elimination), and supplies the necessary ones into the systemic bloodstream - exactly as much as is needed for the normal functioning of the body's systems.

However, the benefits of cherries for gout also lie in the pectin substances they contain (11%). Due to the presence of glucuronic acids in pectins, regular inclusion of cherries in the diet helps to remove from the body not only "bad" cholesterol, but also nitrogenous waste (waste products of protein catabolism) - uric acid, urea, creatinine, indican.

Benefits of cherries for gout: cations K, Ca, Mg, Na

And again about the acid-base balance, as well as about the electrolyte balance and the benefits of cherries for gout in terms of the content of potassium (173 mg per 100 g), calcium (16 mg), magnesium (9 mg) and sodium (3 mg) in these fruits.

The fact is that K, Ca, Mg and Na are positively charged (+), i.e. they are cations. Scientists at the beginning of the 20th century emphasized the role of substances that provide osmotic processes in the body - negatively charged particles (anions) and positively charged particles (cations). Food products with a high content of anions (chloride, phosphates and sulfates) form an acidic environment, while products with a high content of cations contribute to the creation of an alkaline environment, i.e. they help reduce blood acidity (increase pH).

Normally, the blood contains 200-210 mg% potassium, 172-175 mg% sodium, up to 5 mg% calcium and slightly more than 4 mg% magnesium. Cherry affects the change in the ratio of these substances and the balance of electrolytes in gout to the same extent as other fruits and berries: citrus fruits, plums, pomegranate, apricot, raspberry, currant (black and red), blackberry.

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Benefits of Cherries for Gout: Anthocyanins

Cherries contain anthocyanins - water-soluble plant pigments of red color, which are flavonoids and are oxygen heterocycles with a phenyl group and a pyrilium cation. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants.

In addition, anthocyanins are able to block cyclooxygenase (an enzyme that provides inflammatory and pain reactions in the body). Thus, the potential benefit of cherries for gout is the ability of anthocyanins to reduce inflammation and pain associated with joint damage by uric acid crystals.

This is the conclusion reached in a study conducted by scientists from the UK and South Africa and partly funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute, an American organization of producers of cherries, more than 200 types of cherry juice, food supplements with powdered cherry extract and snacks with dried cherries (Montmorency tart cherries). The results of the study were published in one of the food journals in 2014.

But this study involved fewer than two dozen healthy people without gout, and simply had their blood and urine tested for uric acid before and after eating frozen cherries for 48 hours. So the level of evidence for this “study” is not up to par. Still, in 2012, cherries were declared the food with the highest anti-inflammatory effect, equal to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

After the hype (including on the Internet), the Cherry Marketing Institute even created a committee to study the medicinal properties of this fruit (Cherry Research Committee).

People suffering from gout should know which foods are acid-forming and which are alkalizing. Can you eat cherries with gout? Yes, you can and should. And you need to understand the difference between different food products, which will help prevent serious health problems and improve your health.

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