My uric acid levels were reduced with a supplement

[skyking1]

I am currently on a Very Low Calorie (VLC) doctor supervised diet.
https://www.optifast.com/

One of the side effects of a high protein diet is elevated uric acid levels. I have been on two of these diets now in the last 5 years, and each doctor did regular blood work including uric acid.
The first diet was ~5 years ago.
Initial value = 7.7
during the program = 6.6 and 6.5

This diet initial value = 7.7
during the program = 8.3 and 8.4
This is flagged as a high level, > 8.0
The doctor prescribed a round of colchicine, the traditional uric acid reducing medication, after the first result. As we can see, it did not help. One of the side effects of colchicine is gastric upset or diarrhea after the 2nd pill, and I had no side effects whatsoever.
After that second result, I ordered a supplement with good reviews from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W5K185L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After 10 days of this supplement, my lab results were 7.2 !!

High uric acid levels have been connected with higher mortality.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5590638/#:~:text=Hyperuricemia%20was%20associated%20with%2039,1.19%3B%20P%20%3C0.001).

It also has negative effects for those of us with arthritis.
It is not just about the gout
The recommended therapeutic level for gout patients is < 6.0
I will update this thread as I get more results.

 

[disneysteve]

The doctor prescribed a round of colchicine, the traditional uric acid reducing medication, after the first result.

This isn’t correct. Colchicine is used to treat gout but it does not lower the uric acid level. We use allopurinol for that. If anyone was expecting colchicine to impact the uric acid level that was not going to happen.

 

[skyking1]

This isn’t correct. Colchicine is used to treat gout but it does not lower the uric acid level. We use allopurinol for that. If anyone was expecting colchicine to impact the uric acid level that was not going to happen.

thanks Steve.
I looked at allopurinol and the side effects. I am hoping this supplement gets it done.

 

[OldShooter]

...I ordered a supplement with good reviews from Amazon. ...

Obviously SGOTI posting on Amazon is a more reliable source than your doctor.

 

[skyking1]

Most doctors are not against using supplements.
Unlike typical SGOTI anecdotal " I got better" my post included blood test results. I will follow up with more of these results as I get them.
I don't have gout but just like shingles, I don't need to have it to know I don't want it. My DFIL had both and it was terrible for him.
I do have osteoarthritis all over to some extent, and also spondylosis. My hopes are to help prevent more damage and dodge the gout bullet. I don't expect any symptomatic results from this supplement, as I am trying to stay ahead of a potential problem.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Just curious why you intentionally seem to have a diet that raises uric acid levels and then take a supplement to lower UA? Why would you not simply change your diet? Like an anti-gout diet to lower UA levels? I get my UA levels tested at a lab every now and then, plus have UA paper at home so I can adjust my diet as needed.


Arthritis is linked to high UA levels - Exploring the Link between Uric Acid and Osteoarthritis - PMC (nih.gov)

 

[OldShooter]

Most doctors are not against using supplements.

Your point is?

Unlike typical SGOTI anecdotal " I got better" my post included blood test results. ...

Your anecdote implies that you believe correlation proves causality. With all the other stuff going on in your body, this is a walk onto thin ice.

But, really, I don't care. My comment was simply from a continuing sense of wonderment over people who seem to believe that the internet is a better resource for health information than their doctor is. Anyone who believes this, IMO needs to find a doctor whose knowledge and resources they respect.

 

[skyking1]

it is a short term doctor supervised diet. I'll be off it in 6 months or less.
My obesity is far more dangerous to my overall health at the moment, and once I get that down and managed I will be transitioning to something I can literally live with.

 

[skyking1]

Your point is?
Your anecdote implies that you believe correlation proves causality. With all the other stuff going on in your body, this is a walk onto thin ice.

But, really, I don't care. My comment was simply from a continuing sense of wonderment over people who seem to believe that the internet is a better resource for health information than their doctor is. Anyone who believes this, IMO needs to find a doctor whose knowledge and resources they respect.

I and my doctor have nothing else to go by with regards to uric acid levels but these blood tests.
As noted this is a short term diet, but it is worth noting that in both cases my pre-diet uric acid levels were in the high normal range.
In the other diet program, the level went down without any specific actions. Unfortunately that program is no longer available in my area or I would be all over it.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

it is a short term doctor supervised diet. I'll be off it in 6 months or less.
My obesity is far more dangerous to my overall health at the moment, and once I get that down and managed I will be transitioning to something I can literally live with.

Got it. On more or less the same diet, DH's UA levels will go down and mine will go up, so I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out which foods raise and lower UA levels. There is a body of interesting research I never knew until recently, like tomatoes can raise UA levels - Positive association of tomato consumption with serum urate: support for tomato consumption as an anecdotal trigger of gout flares - PubMed (nih.gov).

 

[skyking1]

That tomato thing is quite annoying, as DW simply loves toms but they are bad news for her osteo and rheumatoid arthritis.
She really misses a big salad with a huge pile of tomato on top.

 

[Helen]

Obviously SGOTI posting on Amazon is a more reliable source than your doctor.

Good luck finding a doctor who is knowledgeable in nutrition.

 

[tmm99]

That tomato thing is quite annoying, as DW simply loves toms but they are bad news for her osteo and rheumatoid arthritis.
She really misses a big salad with a huge pile of tomato on top.

Nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant) can be inflammatory, so that makes sense...

 

[sengsational]

I'm not a huge fan of optifast (family, not personal experience), I won't go there too deeply. One thing I'll say is that weight came off and they were not hungry. Long term health and weight is a challenge.

Anyway, about supplements, personally, I probably wouldn't go just on what's on Amazon reviews. But if I thought the ingredients were safe, and I had periodic tests scheduled, I might make the small investment and track the results.

In my experience, many of the herbal remedies have a history, usually in distant parts of the world. And so you can find studies (of various levels of credibility) on those remedies. So you can search on the ingredients and condition, sometimes that results in the discovery of a research paper. Most of these are pretty cr*ppy observational methodologies, but the reason for doing the study was probably because generations of people in that area had been convinced it worked. Then the pharmaceutical companies swoop in, figure out the molecule doing the heavy lifting and get a drug out of it. Progress!

 

[skyking1]

The heavy lifter of the ingredients is the tart cherry. Black cherry juice has been used to treat gout for a long time.

 

[skyking1]

Another blood test in and it was 6.9
I'll get blood work in another month and post again.
The rest of the numbers are OK, but the cholesterol is really low now.

 

[audreyh1]

High uric acids levels can come from consumption of fructose: table sugar, fruit juices, sweetened beverages, sweetened foods.

Dr. Richard Johnson is an expert on uric acid and metabolism and diet. He is often interviewed for podcasts, etc.

You don’t necessarily have to avoid high purine foods, you have to avoid excessive fructose.

Attia podcast #194 – How fructose drives metabolic disease | Rick Johnson, M.D.
https://peterattiamd.com/rickjohnson2/

 

[skyking1]

I've had none for the last 3 months and my uric acid went higher and higher so I'm thinking fructose is not the deal here

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Glad to hear your UA levels are coming down. That seems to be an important, but often overlooked, biomarker for longevity. We keep close tabs on our levels these days.

 

[bloom2708]

Gout is the disease of "kings". Has been for centuries. High fat/cholesterol/animal product lifestyle.

Whole food, plant based lifestyle. Not a diet.

 

[Powderjunkie]

The podcast with Dr. Peter Attia (Attia podcast #194 – How fructose drives metabolic disease | Rick Johnson, M.D.
https://peterattiamd.com/rickjohnson2/) that audreyh1 posted I found to be very helpful and easy to understand. Peter Attia also has a plethora of very informative (sometimes he gets very deep into the weeds) and useful podcasts on nutrition and wellness which the OP may find useful.

 

[euro]

I second the Attia podcasts as a generally excellent source of information (with the exception of his recent Covid podcast where he succumbed to some surprisingly juvenile behavior presumably due to having two of his buddies on the show at the same time and feeling the need to impress them...).
In any event, personally, I doubt any supplements will make a favorable difference in keeping uric acid levels in check. That said, as long as it doesn't cause any undue side effects, there is not much harm in the OP spending a few bucks on Amazon if he believes it helps.

 

[skyking1]

I'm loving all these references to high fructose and podcasts in my post, when I am on a very low calorie diet with no fructose or fruit anywhere in sight. No sucrose. No sugars. None of that inflammatory stuff.
The doctor's concerns over possible higher uric acid levels come from experiences with this particular diet and it is due to relatively high protein.
Sure she could write a script for something, but if this supplement keeps doing what it appears to be doing, she and I are in agreement that it is a fine way to go.

 

[ls99]

Thread hijack warning!!!

Those with elevetad uric acid levels may be in luck. There is a shortage of DEF. https://marketrealist.com/p/def-shortage/

The problem is effecting truckers big time.
DEF and Urea Shortage Is Another Casualty of Supply Chain Crisis
Mandated by EPA for reducing diesel emissions. DEF is water and Urea mix.
So seell pee instead of blood to make ends meet.

 

[skyking1]